A whale has died after washing up on a Sussex beach, the coastguard has confirmed.

The northern bottlenose whale passed away despite attempts from marine vets and rescue teams to save it and refloat it into the sea.

A coastguard spokesman confirmed that while they remain on the scene in East Beach in Rustington, efforts to save the whale had sadly failed after it appeared on the shore yesterday afternoon.

The HM Coastguard spokesman said: “Coastguards and a vet from British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) are still on scene with the Northern Bottle Nose Whale at Rustington.

“Unfortunately it was not possible to get the whale back into the sea, sadly it has now passed away.

“The council will be attempting to recover the whale this morning.

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“We are asking members of the public to stay away and remain behind the cordons. We are also asking dog walkers to ensure they keep their dogs on leads whilst passing the area.”

The whale, which normally inhabits the North Atlantic ocean, was first seen on the beach at around 1.30pm on Saturday.

Sue Gale who lives in Rustington with her husband Bill said they never thought they would see anything like this in the West Sussex seaside town.

"We are regular sea swimmers, well, a couple of times a year anyway, and I never thought we would see anything like this here.

"You can't help but feel sorry for the poor creature."

The Northern Bottlenose Whale is 5.4m long and weighs five tons.

Yesterday vets covered the whale in towels and poured water onto it in an attempt to keep it hydrated and alive.

The whales generally feed of deep-water squid and can dive as far as 1,400m.

British Divers Marine Life Rescue were also approached for comment.