The coastguard was called to reports a dead porpoise had been discovered on the beach in Margate today.

The team was sent to an area behind the Winter Gardens shortly before 11.15am where a harbour porpoise had in fact been washed up.

Members of the public were advised to stay away and Thanet District Council was informed so that it could be removed.

Before that was arranged, measurements were taken and information gathered to be sent to the Natural History Museum.

The institution records the death of around 300 porpoise deaths a year, and tries to ascertain the cause, as well as monitoring levels of disease, toxins and pollutants and parasites in the water.

Harbour porpoises are fairly common in UK waters and usually stay close to coastal areas and river estuaries.

However, they do face threats from water pollution including litter and plastic, noise from shipping which can disorientate them, and fishing nets which they can become entangled in.