Rescuers battle to save whale stranded in River Thames

A small minke whale has been freed after it got stuck almost 100 miles up the River Thames.

Hundreds of people gathered at Richmond Lock and Weir in west London on Sunday evening after the three to four metre long mammal was spotted, stranded on the lock’s boat rollers.

The whale was kept damp as a man, believed to work for the Port of London Authority (PLA), hosed it down.

Both the British Divers Marine Life Rescue and the Fire Brigade were also at the scene in an attempt to assist the animal back into the water.