Porpoise dies after being washed onto shores of North Denes

Kevin Murphy with the porpoise carcus that washed up on North Denes beach. (Image: Submitted)

The mammal - a common porpoise - was discovered on the beach at around 9.30am on Sunday, around 200 yards from the Coastwatch tower.

A member of the public who spotted the creature alerted Coastwatch, who in turn called the British Divers Marine Life Rescue, however, the creature could not be saved.

Kevin Murphy, BDMLR area co-ordinator for Norfolk said: 'It seems like a natural death. There was nothing untoward on it to make me think it was a human-made death - it is likely that it simply came too close to the shore and was caught off guard by the tide.

'People may argue it is in the nature of creatures to avoid incidents like this, but even so, these isolated things can happen.

A dead porpoise that was washed up on North Denes beach. Submitted (Image: Submitted)

'It is a great shame. They are called the common porpoise, but they are far from common - they don't normally tend to come up near the surface and jump like a dolphin might, so you don't see them quite as much.'

Mr Murphy took the creature's measurements - around 1.2m (4ft) in length - before making arrangements for it to kept in a secure location until it can be collected by the UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme.

He added: 'Quite a few people came up to ask what was going on, there was a lot of interest in it. A huge thanks to Coastwatch for alerting us and dealing with the situation so well.

'The best advice I can give to anybody who finds a beached creature, is - if it is alive - to contact experts and seek advice, like these people did.

'If you see a creature in distress, alert the Coastguard, RSCPA or ourselves, rather than trying to put it back into the water yourself. Always look for the help of an expert.'