Whale carcass washes up on beach near Hunstanton

A 30ft (9m) whale has been found dead on a beach in Norfolk.

Hunstanton Coastguard Rescue Team said it was called to Heacham Beach near the town at about 11:00 GMT.

A spokesman said it built a cordon around the carcass, believed to be a minke whale, but it was later hidden under water from the incoming tide.

A Facebook post said: "If you see this mammal on the beach after the tide has gone out please keep all dogs, children and yourselves well away from it."

Its cause of death is not yet known but the body was expected to be recovered on Monday.

The coastguard team said it gathered information and took pictures for the National History Museum, and expected wildlife experts from British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) to be on the scene on Monday morning.

A number of whale carcasses have washed up along the east coast of England in recent weeks.

One was found under Battersea Bridge in London on 29 November - the second in the River Thames in as many months - and a dead whale washed up on a beach at Felixstowe in Suffolk last month.