A DEAD whale which washed up on Ynyslas Beach on Christmas Day has been removed with the help of diggers, a crane and a lorry.

The 15-foot Minke whale was found at the Dyfi National Nature Reserve beach by people enjoying a Christmas Day stroll, fast becoming the centre of attention until it was removed yesterday.

After initial efforts to remove the large cetacean carcass were hampered by poor weather, the Coastguard warned people not to touch or get too close to the whale because of the danger it posed to health.

Almost two weeks later, Natural Resources Wales, which worked alongside Ceredigion County Council and the Receiver of Wreck, announced it had managed to remove the whale yesterday.

An NRW spokesperson said: “The dead Minke whale, after being on the beach at Ynyslas for just over a week, has now been removed because of environmental health concerns.

“It was a real challenge involving diggers and cranes to get the dead whale into a lorry at the entrance to the beach. Hundreds of people have visited the dunes and beach to see the Minke whale over the Christmas break."

See next week’s south editions for the full story