Coastguard warns dead whale on Cumbrian beach 'may have toxins that can pass to humans' as Storm Boelo rages

Maryport Coastguard Rescue Team arrived at Flimby Beach on Sunday morning to find the juvenile northern bottlenose whale already dead. Volunteers gathered what measurements they safely could and relayed the data to Belfast operations. The species normally roams the deep North Atlantic, diving beyond 1,400m. A fresh yellow wind warning begins at 6pm on Monday, with coastal gusts of up to 65mph forecast.

Rescuers say even a one-tonne whale is like a hatchback rolling onto someone.

Thousands of Cumbrian homes lost power as flooding and fallen trees blocked roads.

The public are told never to push a stranded whale back into the sea.