Work continues to remove sperm whale from Northumberland coast as public urged to keep back from scene

Members of the public watch on at the Northumberland coast. | User (UGC)

A barrier remains in place on a Northumberland beach following the death of a large sperm whale which came ashore at Newbiggin-by-the-Sea.

The creature was spotted in shallow waters on Friday, October 11 more than 400km from its natural habitat.

It was monitored by volunteer medics from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue, but died hours after it became stranded near to shore.

Work took place over the weekend to record measurements of the whale, which was more than 13 metres long and weighed up to 30 tons, and capture pictures to be recorded in a national database.

The whale was spotted near to shore on Friday, October 11. | User (UGC)

Now, the public has been advised by both Blyth and Newbiggin Coastguard Rescue Teams that members will remain on scene until a disposal plan for the whale’s carcass can be put in place – and that barriers are in place for public protection and safety.

A post on Facebook said: “The team, along with members from Newbiggin and Amble Coastguard, will be remaining on scene until a disposal plan has been put in place, with that in mind the team request members of the public to follow safety advice issued by team members and please do not cross any barriers put in place, this request is for public protection and safety.”

The Blyth team also took to Facebook to thank those who had provided their workers with food and hot drinks while they continued their work at the beach.