Beluga Whale is spotted in the River Thames leaving Londoners stunned

A beluga whale has been spotted in the River Thames near London, a wildlife expert claimed today.

Ecologist and ornithologist Dave Andrews tweeted videos of the mammal in the Thames off Coalhouse Fort in Tilbury, Essex.

He wrote on Twitter: ‘Can’t believe I’m writing this, no joke – beluga in the Thames off Coalhouse Fort.

A grab from one of the videos of the whale in the Thames off Coalhouse Fort in Tilbury, Essex

Ecologist and ornithologist Dave Andrews tweeted videos of the whale in the Thames today

‘For anyone twitching the beluga, it’s been feeding around the barges for the last hour and hasn’t moved more than 200 metres in either direction. Still present.’

He added that the whale was ‘best viewed from Kent just off Shorne marshes but don’t know access to this area’. 

Sky News presenter Kay Burley tweeted of her excitement about the whale, saying: ‘We’re scrambling the Skycopter. Standby.’

In January 2006, an 18ft northern bottlenose whale swam up the River Thames, with thousands of people watching from the riverbank as rescuers tried in vain to save it.

The story of the whale captivated people across Britain and abroad, with it being the first time the species had been sighted in the Thames since records began in 1913.

More to follow