More dolphin sightings expected off North East coast

Bottlenose dolphins are expected to become more common off the North East and Yorkshire coasts as the animals travel further south to find fish, an expert says.

Over the past 10 years, sightings have increased from about a dozen a year to a dozen every day.

The possibility of regular sightings could provide a boost to the tourism economy as people flock to the coast to see them, according to Martin Kitching, the regional co-ordinator for Sea Watch Foundation and director at Northern Experience Wildlife Tours.

His "educated guess" suggests that places such as Hartlepool, Redcar, Whitby and Scarborough will start to see the animals more frequently over the next four years.

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