People urged to stay away from huge dead whale on British beach

The police have issued a statement

The 16-metre long whale was "very undernourished" before its sad death, according to marine life experts.

A live whale was seen swimming off Pentire Headland on Tuesday 14 November and many experts believe that this is the same whale.

That being said, a post-mortem will be carried out to determine the whale's cause of death.

Crowds have naturally flocked to see the whale, however the police have warned people to stay away.

Anthrea Hawtrey-Collier, from the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, told ITV News: "Until we do a full post-mortem, which the Cornwall marine pathology team will be undertaking, we cannot speculate what has caused the illness and why this animal might be dead."

She added: "It's a beautiful animal and it's a very awful sight for people to see but it's also an incredibly educational sight.

"Part of the Marine Strandings Network is the value of looking at dead animals is that we can get information and understanding that we cannot gain when they're alive in the wild."

A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police said: "A number of emergency services and partner agencies are currently on Fistral Beach following a report of a dead whale having been located.

"Members of the public are asked to avoid the area at this time."

Many believe that the whale could be at risk of "blowing up" due to the gasses which remain dormant inside its flesh after death.

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