Coastguard rescues stranded porpoise from Norfolk beach

  • Watch a video of the rescue and release of the stranded porpoise

The Cromer and Sheringham Coastguard have rescued a stranded porpoise on East Runton beach, on Wednesday morning.

They were called out along with the British Divers Marine Life Rescue at just after 10am.

Members of the Cromer and Sheringham Coastguard and British Divers Marine Life Rescue work together to rescue the stranded porpoise Credit: Cromer and Sheringham Coastguard

In a social media post, the coastguard reported that the rescue ended happily with the porpoise being put safely back into the sea.

Jackie James, a volunteer at the Cromer and Sheringham Coastguard said it was an amazing experience.

Often they get called to a stranding and it can be too late to save the mammal, but this time they were successful.

It was a team effort, she said, from the dog walker who raised the alarm, to the specialists who re-floated, rebalanced and released the porpoise back into the sea.

"It was a real community effort, the right people in the right place. The gentleman dog walker knew what to do, the porpoise was on the beach and he managed to get it down to the shore line so it was in the water just a little bit so it was staying wet," Jackie James said.

Mission accomplished! The rescue team in action, returning the stranded porpoise to the sea Credit: Cromer and Sheringham Coastguard