We are sad to report that the decision has been made to put down the young minke whale that swam up to Teddington lock from Richmond in the early hours of this morning.

British Divers Marine Life Rescue said: The juvenile minke whale in the River Thames at Teddington Weir has deteriorated rapidly over the last couple of hours of monitoring by BDMLR Medics and representatives from Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme, based at the Zoological Society of London.

The animal is positioned against the river wall and the tide is now dropping quickly and it is expected the animal will be beached very soon.

BDMLR medics will try to position themselves to prevent the whale entering deep water again where it is now having difficulty swimming as its strength reserves seem to be compromised.

Once the whale is beached a veterinary team will be on stand by to euthanise the animal to end its suffering, in the meantime the team will continue to do what they can to care for the animal under these sad circumstances.