The carcass of a whale which washed up on a Norfolk beach has been swept back out to sea.
Families and dog walkers were earlier urged to stay away from a 30ft minke whale which was found washed up at Heacham, near Hunstanton, on Sunday (December 8) morning.
But, with recovery of the carcass due on Monday, a spokesman from the Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk confirmed it had been swept out to sea with the changing tide.
Following the discovery of the beached mammal, Hunstanton Coastguard Rescue Team took pictures for the National History Museum and gathered information on the whale including its size.
They stayed at the scene to put a cordon in place as a matter of public safety, before standing down when the tide came in on Sunday afternoon.
This morning a coastguard spokesman said the incident was now in the hands of experts from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR).
The whale's cause of death is not yet known, although a post-mortem examination is due to take place if the carcass washes up on the shoreline again.
Last month, a whale 'the size of a small fishing boat' was spotted off the coast of Cley in north Norfolk.
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