Whale swims back to sea

Coastguards were confident yesterday that a stranded whale was safely back in the open sea. The 45ft female Minke whale was found beached on Sunday on mudbanks at South Ferriby, near Hull.

But with a rising tide and a flotilla of boats the whale was coaxed out into the North Sea. The incoming tide floated the whale shortly after 4pm and it swam into the main channel and back out to sea. A Humber coastguard spokeswoman said it was good that the whale was back in the open sea.