Skegness whales: 'CND' graffiti daubed on body of mammal washed up on Lincolnshire beach

CND says the action was not organised by them

Graffiti saying 'CND' is seen on the tail of one of three Sperm Whales that were found washed ashore on a beach near Skegness over the weekend on January 25, 2016 in Skegness, England (Getty Images)

For three days, people have reacted with a mix of shock and respect as four or five members of the same sperm whale pod washed up on a short stretch of the English coast.

But while for some the unexplained nature of such incidents inspires a certain air of sadness and mystery, others have been criticised for the way they have treated the whales’ remains.

On Monday morning, images from the beach in Skegness showed someone had spray-painted the letters “CND” on the tail of one whales, signifying the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

They attempted to accompany it with the organisation’s logo – though as one Twitter user pointed out, didn’t quite get it right.

On the whale’s flank, the same white paint was used to write the words “Fukushima RIP – man killed me” – a reference to the 2011 nuclear power station disaster in Japan. They appeared to have spelled it “Fukishima”.

A spokesperson for the CND said the action was not organised at a national level but told the BBC many people have "very strong views on nuclear disarmament".

The same whale is understood to have later exploded amid grim scenes as marine biologists carried out an autopsy in situ.

It and two juvenile sperm whales appeared on Saturday and Sunday in Lincolnshire.

A fourth whale was spotted off the coast of Norfolk on Friday before it became stranded and died at Hunstanton.

And on Monday, the coastguard was investigating a reported possible fifth sighting up the coast in Wainfleet, Lincolnshire.

Experts will examine the bodies of the whales to try and establish why they beached – and whether their deaths are linked to a pod of 12 which died between the Netherlands and Germany since 11 January.