A 15 tonne sperm whale has died after stranding on Perranporth Beach on Sunday afternoon.

The female sperm whale, which measures almost 40 feet long, was spotted on the beach at around 1pm yesterday, having been stranded by a falling tide.

Rescue charity British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BMDLR) said the weight of the whale meant there was no way of safely moving her back into the sea, and she died naturally within two hours of being reported, at around 3pm.

A spokesperson for the charity said: "It is incredibly rare for a female sperm whale to strand in the UK as females tend to remain with their calves in tropical and sub-tropical waters, with the closest known breeding and nursery area being off the Azores, with what may be females sometimes seen in the southern parts of the Bay of Biscay.

"Males leave the nursery pod and congregate in sub-polar regions, returning to the warmer waters each winter when the larger males will seek out responsive females for mating."

They added: "As this was a lone female it is unlikely that the stranding would have been associated with the mass stranding of male sperm whales in the southern North Sea in January and February of this year."

Tissue samples have been taken from the whale for analysis and a post mortem will be carried out today if the body is still accessible, with results published by the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme.

The public has been warned to stay away from the carcass as whales carry diseases that can transfer to humans and pets.

It is is illegal to remove or own any part of a dead whale, dolphin or porpoise without an official licence.

BDMLR thanked everyone who helped in response to the stranding.