Beluga whale has rescue team to help it get to safety

A beluga whale that was spotted in the River Thames will be helped by a rescue team to make sure it leaves the river safely.

The whale, nicknamed Benny, was first spotted around barges in the Thames on Tuesday near Gravesend, Kent, thousands of miles from its normal Arctic habitat.

Rescue teams have been on standby in case the whale gets into danger.

RSPCA spokeswoman Clare Dew said: "We don't have any concerns about the whale itself at the moment, and it is certainly still behaving normally.

"It has moved further down the Thames out towards the estuary which is a good sign.

A co-ordinator from the British Divers Marine Life rescue team is at the river to monitor the whale.

Beluga whales are not often found near the UK - the last sighting was in 2015 when two were seen near Northumberland and another near Northern Ireland.

The public have been asked to keep a safe distance away from the whale to make sure it comes to no harm.

When last seen, the whale was swimming well and teams monitoring the whale are hopeful that outgoing tides will help it will swim back out to sea.