Carcass of 40 foot whale washes up on Essex beach

The carcass of a 40-foot whale has washed up on an Essex beach leaving passersby ‘in tears’ at the sight.

The huge mammal was first spotted in shallow water near Clacton-on-Sea at about 6am this morning. Essex Police has confirmed the whale had died and urged the public to stay away from the area.

The whale is currently resting lifeless in the waves as police, marine experts and an ocean cleanup charity try to remove the carcass. The Big Blue Ocean Cleanup, based in Penryn, Cornwall, blamed the whale’s death on plastic waste littering the ocean.

CEO Rory Sinclair said: ‘It is very upsetting seeing a 40 foot whale wash up at Clacton-on-Sea this morning. Whales washing up are currently on the rise mainly due to discarded fishing nets, ocean plastic and infectious diseases.

‘We need to raise awareness on this important issue and protect these incredible marine animals.’

Kirsty Fordham said she had tears in her eyes when she spotted the whale while she out on her early morning walk with husband, Mark, 47. She called police just after 6am.

‘When I first spotted it, she was about 200-ft out and I wasn’t sure if it was the hull of a boat,’ said the 43-year-old. ‘I took a couple of photos and zoomed in and realised it was a whale.

‘It was definitely dead as it was on its back and it was definitely “gone” before it washed up into the shore. It actually washed in quite quickly after I saw it.’

Kirsty, an activities co-ordinator for children with disabilities, said there was no sign of wounds or bleeding.

‘It was so beautiful even in death and it was a sad sight to see. I had tears in my eyes and I was really choked up,’ she said.

‘The poor thing needed to be shown some respect but there were a lot of people gathering down there and it was sad really as it was becoming quite a spectacle.

‘But that’s life I guess as people are just curious. There were hundreds of people down there when we left.’

Officers have set up a cordon as they try to remove the carcass but a large crowd of people has gathered on the coastal paths above the beach to watch.

A spokesperson for Essex Police said: ‘Sadly a 40ft whale has been washed up in Clacton this morning.

‘We are currently in attendance with other organisations and discussions are under way on how to remove her.

‘The area is cordoned off and the public are advised to stay away. #socialdistancing #stayalert’.

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