The 18ft-long (5.5m) whale weighed about five tonnes
An 18ft-long (5.5m) whale carcass has been found washed up on the coast of Hartlepool.
The five-tonne animal was discovered slightly North of Steetley Pier at about 13:00 BST on Thursday, the Hartlepool Coastguard Rescue Team said.
Hartlepool Borough Council said the minke whale was removed from the beach at about 07:30 BST on Friday.
A spokesman for marine conservation research charity Sea Watch Foundation said it was a "tragedy".
The council said it took about three hours to remove the animal from the beach.
The council said a specialist equipment was used to lift the whale onto a trailer
The Sea Watch Foundation said there had been "quite a number" of sightings of minke whales recently, but to find one in Hartlepool was a "rare and quite unusual event".
A spokesman said: "As a research charity dedicated to the protection and conservation of whales, dolphins and porpoises, we're always devastated to see them injured or killed.
"Waters off the north-east of England are a great place to spot one of these elusive creatures and we hope that with further monitoring and increased protection that many more people will have the chance to witness these giants, thriving not far from our homes on the land."
The coastguard said members from the Natural History Museum in London were going to take samples to try and establish the cause of death.
