A huge whale has been found washed up on the shores of the River Thames.

Jack Theed spotted the marine giant, a juvenile female fin, in Cliffe, on the Hoo Peninsula.

The 33-year-old commissioning engineer came across the whale while out walking with his son Jude, their working cocker spaniel and a friend at around 10am.

It is not yet known how it got there or why it died.

Footage taken by the group shows the sea creature laying motionless on the beach with a rope attached to it.

Reacting to the spectacle, Mr Theed told KentOnline: "It was just absolutely massive.

"We think it was hit by a boat as it had propeller marks all down its side.

"It also had a rope around its tail, so it may have died in the water and then been put there.

"Somebody may be waiting for a high tide to then take it back out.

"I've lived in Cliffe for 23 years and never seen anything like this before.

"The bit I walked around isn't somewhere a lot of people go.

"I would guess it’s about 30ft, but it's hard to gauge of course."

Mr Theed says he reported the whale to the Port of London Authority after discovering it.

A spokesman for the marine body said: "Members of our marine services team and contractors are working to remove the body of a whale that sadly washed ashore at Cliffe on Wednesday.

"The team will determine when that task can be safely undertaken depending on tides and weather.

“In the meantime, for their own health and safety, and that of any pet with them, we would advise people to avoid touching the whale or getting too close.

"The whale was reported to the UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme via the Natural History Museum.”

It’s not the first time huge whales have been found as far up as the River Thames.

In 2019 a whale dubbed “Hessy the Humpback” died after swimming into the Thames Estuary and colliding with a ship.

A year prior, Benny the Beluga was another unexpected visitor to north Kent's waterways.

The Arctic explorer became a tourist attraction before disappearing from the river in May, eight months after first being spotted.

According to the Whale and Dolphin Conservation, the female fin can grow up to 80 feet in length and weigh up to 120,000kg.

The oldest of its kind to be discovered also lived to be an estimated 111-years-old.