Reports of a 'capsized boat' which sparked a three hour sea search off North Norfolk may have been sparked by a whale.

Lifeboat crews from Happisburgh and Sea Palling along with coastguards called off a search after reports of a possible overturned vessel in the sea between the two coastal villages on Tuesday afternoon.

The alarm was raised at 2.40pm by a helicopter pilot landing at North Denes Airport, Yarmouth.

Coastguards joined crews from the two Happisburgh lifeboats and from Sea Palling independent lifeboat, which checked the local reefs.

The exhaustive search lasted nearly three hours but found nothing, according to a coastguard station spokesman at Yarmouth.

A spokesman for Happisburgh lifeboat said it was thought the sighting could have been a whale.