A MARINE conservation officer has said there could be further beached whales in the region following an incident last weekend near Roosebeck.

A beached whale was reported to Furness Coastguard who attended the seen and had warned members of the public not to go near it due to the danger of the tides in the area as it was a mile out from the beach.

The team located the mammal which is believed to be a Northern Bottlenose Whale and confirmed that it was unfortunately deceased.

A marine wildlife expert has weighed in and echoed the words of the coastguard of the threat to life Morecambe Bay has as well as the bacteria and germs humans could be exposed to from the deceased whale.

Dr Emily Baxter, senior marine conservation officer of North West Wildlife Trust, said: "It is unusual for deep diving species like the northern bottlenose whale to be seen in the shallow waters of the Irish Sea.

"They usually live in the open seas feeding up to 2000m deep.

"However, this species is thought to be prone to mass stranding and sadly about a week ago, a pod of northern bottlenose whale were stranded on the coast of Donegal in Ireland.

"Six whales were confirmed dead with a question remaining about whether any had survived.

"A few days later several northern bottlenose whales were seen off the coast of the Isle of Arran in the Clyde and there were concerns over their safety due to them approaching shallow waters.

"Therefore, it is likely that the whale stranded at Roosebeck could have been part of the same pod and there could be further standings in this area if there are other members of the pod around.

"If anyone finds a live stranded whale they should report it as quickly as possible to the British Divers Marine Life Rescue.

"Dead stranded whales should be reported to the Cetacean Stranding Investigation Programme.

"As interesting (and sad) as it is to get a rare chance to see one of our ocean giants washed up, we would echo what the coastguard have already said and urge people to keep away well away from the whale stranded.

"The whale is thought to be some distance out in the Bay.

"Although this area is beautiful it is also very dangerous with soft mud and sand as well as large, fast-moving tides.

"In addition, stranded whales carry lots of bacteria and diseases that could cause a problem for human health so please don't touch them."

Key measurements were recorded at the time for Natural History Museum before the coastguard team stood down.