Cost of removing dead sperm whales revealed

The operation to remove three dead sperm whales which washed up on aLincolnshire beach cost £26,000.

The three whales were found on the coast at Skegness in late January and were believed to be part of the same pod as others found in Hunstanton, Norfolk, and Wainfleet in Lincolnshire.

Hundreds of people went to see the whales when they washed up on the beach on January 23 before they were removed in a five-hour operation four days later.

Bulldozers were needed to remove the whales. Credit: ITV News
It took a team of 14 people to remove the whales. Credit: PA

The whales are believed to have weighed around 30 tonnes each.

Now, East Lindsey District Council has confirmed the cost of the removal was £26,000.

A spokesman from the authority said there was no allocated money for whale removal in their annual budget.

"This is a risk of having a coastal resort," he added.

The whales were covered with sand prior to their removal, then placed onto low loaders, wrapped in tarpaulin and taken to the rendering site in Sheffield.