Police are investigating a report that a pod of dolphins was harassed by jet skiers along the Tyneside coast.
Officers were contacted by a member of the public on Monday evening who said they had seen a jet ski with two people onboard and they appeared to be harassing a large pod of dolphins off Whitley Bay beach, in North Tyneside.
Northumbria Police are now looking into the matter.
A crew from the Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade (TVLB) was also asked to attend the scene just before 6pm that day.
Peter Lilley, a captain with the brigade, said: "HM Coastguard paged the brigade after Northumbria Police received a call from a concerned member of the public who could see a jet ski with two people onboard who appeared to be harassing a large pod of dolphins off Whitley Bay beach.
"The report stated that the men were repeatedly crossing the paths of the dolphins and were in danger of seriously injuring a number of the mammals.
"Brigade members met at Cullercoats Bay and located the ski and its owners as it was being loaded onto a trailer.
"Officers from Northumbria Police then arrived and spoke to the two men involved, with further information taken pending a more detailed investigation."
A spokesperson from Northumbria Police added: "We are aware of the incident and our neighbourhood wildlife liaison officer is making inquiries."
Dolphins are a common sight in the North Sea and there have been a number of sightings of them along the region's coast over the past few weeks.
