A basking shark has been spotted off the Norfolk coast.

The animal was seen on Saturday evening (August 7) off Caister beach when Kerry Hester was walking with her family and they noticed its triangular fin in the water, only about 100m from the shore.

She said: "We were amazed to see it. I've been coming on my holidays here for 30 years and never seen anything like that before.

Family-spots-basking-shark-off-the-Norfolk-coast

"I didn't even know sharks come that close to the shore.

"I saw it with my naked eye," she added.

Ms Hester and her two daughters, 13 and seven years old, who are from Harlow, sat and watched the shark for 20 minutes.

She would not be letting her two dogs in for a swim any time soon, she added.

The creatures, which can grow to more than 10m in length, feed on plankton.