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A dead whale has been discovered by a tourist on a beach in North Yorkshire.

Chris David, who was visiting Saltwick Bay near Whitby, said he saw the whale, which he believed was about 16 ft (5m) long, as he walked on the beach on Wednesday evening.

The coastguard said the whale had not been reported to them, but the council would be responsible for its removal.

North Yorkshire Council has been approached for comment.

Mr David, who is from South Yorkshire, said the whale looked to be "about the size of a minke whale".

"We walked on the beach just after high tide so I think the tide must have washed it in."

The British Divers Marine Life Rescue organisation said from the images sent to it the mammal was in an "advanced state of decomposition".

"Initial thoughts based on size and shape are that it would be a minke whale, a species found regularly off the north east coast," it said.

"There is no way of us knowing how it died or when unfortunately."

The UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme has also been informed of the find.

Its members attend whale strandings so they can carry out examinations to determine if the death was natural or driven by human activity.

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