A large whale has washed up off the Norfolk coast.

Eastern Daily Press: A large whale has washed up dead in the middle of The Wash Picture: Chris BishopA large whale has washed up dead in the middle of The Wash Picture: Chris Bishop (Image: Archant)

The creature is believed to be a sperm whale, which sometimes become stranded in shallow waters.

The animal was to the south of Snettisham Beach, towards the mouth of the Lynn Channel yesterday.

Today it had moved further out into The Wash, after being carried by the tide overnight.

The creature was seen yesterday by Jacky and Andy McKee, who have reported it to the UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme.

Eastern Daily Press: The stranded whale seen south of Snettisham Beach Picture: Jacky and Andy McKeeThe stranded whale seen south of Snettisham Beach Picture: Jacky and Andy McKee (Image: Archant)

The group normally sends scientists to carry out post mortems on stranded whales.

But the animal is currently lying more than a mile offshore on inaccessible tidal mud flats.

Whale strandings are a regular occurrence along Norfolk’s coastline, particularly in and around the shallow waters of The Wash.

MORE - Norfolk’s history of whale strandings

Eastern Daily Press: The stranded whale seen south of Snettisham Beach Picture: Jacky and Andy McKeeThe stranded whale seen south of Snettisham Beach Picture: Jacky and Andy McKee (Image: Archant)

Eastern Daily Press: The dead sperm whale seen from Snettisham Beach Picture: Chris BishopThe dead sperm whale seen from Snettisham Beach Picture: Chris Bishop (Image: Archant)