Pod of 13 stranded dolphins rescued from shallow water in Jersey

• Watch rescuers help a pod of dolphins that got into difficulty at La Rocque. Pictures from BDMLR Channel Islands

Volunteers continue to check on the welfare of a pod of dolphins that had to be rescued in Jersey.

The group of 13 became stranded after swimming into a natural pool halfway up the beach at La Rocque.

Marine Medic Katliyn Goodman said: "They could be on any part of the island now, hopefully they don't come back to the same location again."

Rescuers battled against the outgoing tide to create a makeshift dam at around midday on Monday 11 March so the dolphins had enough water until the tide came in and they could swim away.

Jersey's Coastguard, Fisheries Department, Fire Service and the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) came together to carry out the rescue.

Marine Biologist Nick Jouault said it is very unusual to see the species in such shallow waters.

He explained: "This is a pretty rare occurrence to see them, they are more likely to be seen off Guernsey in the deeper waters."

BDMLR Channel Islands' Donne De Gruchy said her group had been monitoring the pod for around a week as they were concerned they could become stranded and a baby dolphin had washed up dead two days before the incident.

She added: "It was quite hard to watch because they had been circling in a really tight pod for about four hours in two feet of water.

"So as much as it was good to see the sea coming in, by then they were exhausted. One of the calves was really struggling."

It is unclear why the dolphins became stranded but Donna believes they could have been caught out whilst feeding or they might have become disorientated by the exceptionally high 12-metre tide.

BDMLR Channel Islands has asked people in Jersey to report any non-urgent dolphin sightings to them so they can monitor for any issues - emergencies can be reported to the Coastguard on 01534 447704.