'Dinosaur footprints' found on Penarth beach investigated by Natural History Museum

Possible dinosaur footprints have been discovered on a beach in the Vale of Glamorgan.

Youth worker Kerry Rees spotted the markings in Penarth, embedded in a section of rock, whilst taking her daily lockdown stroll.

Scientists from London's Natural History Museum are investigating the deep indentations to see if they could indeed have been made by a creature millions of years ago.

If proven, it'll be the third such fossilized find to have been made along that stretch of shoreline - the previous discovery, in 2014, having been described as a distant cousin to the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

"I had a feeling what the tracks might be because I knew the area had a history of dinosaur discoveries," said Rees, who originally came across the markings back in April.

"I took photos and decided to send them to the experts at the Natural History Museum to have a look at.

"When they told me they were interested in what I'd found I got quite excited."

However, she added that she wasn't going to get carried away until the investigation had been concluded.

"If they do turn out to be genuine footprints, I think it'll be brilliant for the area, archaeologically-speaking," added Rees, from Ferndale in the Rhondda.

A spokesperson for Natural History Museum confirmed the find exhibited many of the hallmarks of dinosaur tracks and added that they hoped to have a definite answer to their research soon.

Six years ago, Wales' first theropod skeleton was unearthed at Lavernock Point by brothers Nick and Rob Hanigan.

The siblings, from Llantwit Major, made the discovery when they found the skull and bone remains of the juvenile reptile on the Vale of Glamorgan beach after a spring storm.

The creature, which would have measured about 2.2ft tall and 6.5ft long, was christened Dracoraptor hanigani - a mix of the Latin for 'dragon robber' and the Nick and Rob's family surname.

The pair donated the remains to the National Museum Cardiff.