A young whale has died after becoming stranded on an Isle of Wight beach. 

The juvenile whale was put to sleep by vets on a stretch of beach between Brook and Brighstone, at around 1pm today (Saturday, October 5).

Paul Blackley, who was one of the first to try to help save the injured whale from drowning, watched with Needles and Ventnor coastguard rescue volunteers, as it was first sedated, then given an injection to end its life.

(Image: Paul Blackley) The young animal is believed to have weighed around 400lbs.

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Paul said the whale had appeared to have been stranded for some time, and that it's balance had gone — rolling upside down and struggling to right itself so it could breathe.

What happens next for the whale?

Natasha Dix, the Isle of Wight Council’s service director for waste, environment and planning, said: “The council's waste service is arranging a specialist collection of the whale, via a Pet and Equine Crematorium.

"It will be taken to a licenced storage facility in the meantime. We are in discussion with the Cetacean Stranding Investigation Group on the mainland, who wish to collect the whale early next week to autopsy.”