The body of a dead whale found on a beach has been taken away by the authorities – almost two days after it washed up on the shore.

Beach-goers were warned to stay away from the deceased juvenile humpback whale by authorities after it washed up at St Mary’s Bay, Romney Marsh, on Thursday evening.

But spectators were able to view a rare sight today – as a crane hauled the body of the whale into the back of a lorry ready to be taken away.

It’s not clear where the carcass will be transported to yet but the coastguard confirmed the local council – in this case, Folkestone and Hythe District Council – were in charge of the process.

The coastguard also confirmed its presence at the beach had been stood down following the successful removal of the whale.

Witness Paul Crawford says he visited the beach at about 5.30 pm Thursday and was stunned to see the lifeless whale.

“I felt humbled to see it,” he said.

“But I also felt a bit of sadness. They’re such beautiful and amazing animals.”

In a statement released yesterday, HM Coastguard said: “The Romney Marsh Coastguard Rescue Team was tasked to an object floating on the water edge at St Marys Bay.

“Once the object had been located it was confirmed to be a deceased whale. Further investigations were carried out to record statistics of the animal for future analysis.

“A zoologist attended to carry out a post-mortem and take various samples. He managed to confirm that it was a juvenile humpback whale.”

Adult humpback whales can be from 14–17 m (46–56 ft) long and weigh up to 40 metric tonnes (39.4 imperial tons). There are 135,000 of them in the world and they are not considered endangered species.

It is not the first time whales have been spotted around Kent, dead or alive.

Earlier this year, a Minke whale was found dead in Stangate Creek, near the Isle of Sheppey.

And in December, a Minke had been seen swimming inside Dover Harbour, the second such sighting off the Kent coast in a week.

In autumn 2018 a beluga whale nicknamed Benny swam around the Gravesend area of the River Thames for months as there was plenty of food available in the waters, capturing the heart of sea-life lovers.