Beached whale stranded on Dee estuary for third time dies

Rescuers tried to save the 30ft (10m) fin whale after it was beached twice

A beached whale has died after getting stranded for a third time on the same stretch of the coastline.

The 30ft (10m) fin whale was spotted again on a sand bank near the Dee estuary in Flintshire on Sunday morning.

The 14-tonne sea mammal was being observed by rescue teams from a distance for "signs of life".

But a Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokeswoman confirmed the whale had died.

"It will be taken away and post-mortem examination carried out in the next day or two to determine how and why it died," she said.

Members of the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) spotted the whale this morning but said there were "no signs of life left".

On their Facebook page, they said: "The fin whale re-stranded late last night on a sand bank near the Dee estuary mouth on the outgoing tide, but it was far too dangerous to send anyone out there to see if it was still alive.

"It has been found stranded once again this morning and a team from the coastguard and a licensed drone pilot with permission to fly the area have been observing it from a distance.

"Sadly, though expected, there appear to be no signs of life left."

The whale beached itself for the first time on Friday

The BDMLR urged members of the public not to enter the estuary in an attempt to get near the whale, which was thought to be only six or seven months old.

They said it had been a "harrowing ordeal over the last couple of days" for the team as they had battled to save the whale.