A cordon is in place around a whale which was found washed up on a North East beach on Saturday morning.
Shocked walkers along Redcar beach came across the huge mammal stranded on the sands far from the shoreline.
The Minke whale is believed to have washed up on the beach during high tide in the early hours of the morning.
Read more: LIVE - Whale washes up on North East beach as onlookers shocked - updates
Jake Bousfield, who took several pictures of the whale at around 9am, said: "Stumbled across it, no crowd, there was a handful of people down there."
Council workers have erected a cordon around the whale, with local Redcar councillor Carl Quartermain saying it had been reported to the local authority for removal.
A Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council spokesman said: “A dead whale has been washed up on Redcar beach.
"The council has informed the relevant organisation and arrangements will be made to remove the whale. In the meantime, we would advise that people keep their distance from the whale until this can be done.”
It is not the first time a whale has washed up on the beach, however. In June last year, the coastguard were called to a similar incident when a large Minke whale washed up.
Then, the Humber Coastguard were called out to investigate the whale - and it is believed they were also called on Saturday morning.
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