The 2016 National Whale & Dolphin Watch report has been released, and it has been revealed that one cetacean was seen in each hour spent observing the seas off the coast of Cornwall.

The annual watch is a national recording event organised by the Sea Watch Foundation, and commenced for the 14th time in 2016.

Citizen scientists, wildlife enthusiasts, researchers and the general public all worked together on organised whale and dolphin watches around the UK, conducting surveys and reporting their casual sightings.

The report showed that on average 1.1 animals were seen for each hour of watching off Cornwall, with a total of 2,381 sightings off the coast of Cornwall.

Five different species were recorded around the county, comprising of bottlenose dolphins, harbour porpoises, minke whales, short-beaked common dolphins and white-beaked dolphins.

On one occasion, over around 500 short-beaked common dolphins were spotted in Falmouth bay, and further groups of between 1-200 dolphins were sighted in the area.

Kathy James, sighting officer at the Sea Watch Foundation, said: "The national average was almost one sighting per hour and Cornwall managed to beat that.

"Sightings are increasing year on year, and this is the most successful year ever.

"Cornwall is a great place to see a diverse selection of wildlife, but it it can be quite difficult to spot.

"This is a snapshot of what's out there, from these people who spent their time recording sightings.

"Just imagine how high the numbers would have been if residents from Cornwall started recording their sightings."