Tragedy as huge humpback whale washes up on a Northumberland beach

A dead humpback whale has washed up on the Northumberland coast.

The creature was spotted between Craster and Dunstanburgh Castle on Monday morning.

Last week, two whales were spotted in the North Sea.

Pictures taken by Scott Simcox show a dead whale washed up in Northumberland (ChronicleLive)

One distressed creature was seen earlier in the week off Tynemouth and later off the Yorkshire Coast.

Parts of its lower jaw was missing and one of its pectoral fins was damaged.

Then on Wednesday, a dead humpback was spotted off Whitley Bay and later North Shields but without the injuries.

One person who found the whale on Monday said the washed up creature was more likely to be the latter.

"I'm sure this isn't the one spotted at Tynemouth as the described injuries weren't visible and its too far north," they told ChronicleLive.

Experts are expected to now test the whale to establish a cause of death.