There are growing fears a washed up sperm whale could explode – sending bits of its carcass flying across a Northumberland beach.

The sperm whale, which can grow up to 60ft long, washed up on the Northumberland shoreline Friday evening, as crowds gathered.

Estimated to be between 36ft and 59ft long – the male arrived at Newbiggin-by-the-Sea after being sighted around shallow waters in for more than a day.

He is believed to be dead, meaning his gaseous bloated remains risk exploding if left to fester – as has happened with similar cases in the past.

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There have been several cases of whale carcasses bursting due to a build-up of gas as their insides rot. 

A sperm whale exploded like this in January 2004 as it was being transported on the back of a truck in Taiwan.

The incident left a poor bystander utterly drenched in putrefied remains and whale juice.

On other occasions explosives have also been used to assist in disposing of whale carcasses, but the act of cutting the whales open can also lead to minor explosions.

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Sperm whales, the third largest type of whale, are not often seen in the North Sea as it lacks the giant and colossal squid they would usually feed on, which are to be found in more tropical waters.

Earlier today, a spokeswoman for British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) said she feared the animal was "probably not going to survive" due to the lack of food. 

She worried the whale would either drown or wash up on the shore, which it subsequently has.

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The spokeswoman said: "We don't tend to see sperm whales in the North Sea unless there's been some sort of a problem – it's not the habitat that they should be in.

"It's more than likely that in this case it's taken a wrong turn, and has ended up in a really poor condition." 

She said the animal might have "got lost" as it swam around the west coast of the UK, or taken a wrong turn as it went north of Scotland.

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The expert added that sightings of sperm whales in the waters around the UK are "very rare".

She said: "It's been rolling around up and down the coast for more than a day now.

"It's been rolling on to its side and it's displaying its pectoral fin, which is a sign that the animal has been rolling over quite a lot."

A crowd of people gathered to watch it wash up on the beach.

The Coastguard said the animal had first been spotted at around 3.35pm on Thursday, but was not seen to be "causing any safety risk to vessels or members of the public on the beach and promenade".

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