A dead minke whale that had washed up onto rocks by East Beach in North Berwick has now been removed.

The animal, which was thought to be a juvenile, came ashore at about 4pm yesterday afternoon.

The carcass was initially located on a rocky outcrop by East Beach in an area that was not not easily accessible, but changing tides brought the animal onto the beach by yesterday evening.

A dead whale was discovered by the local RNLI crew last week near the Bass Rock, but it is not known if this is the same animal.

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East Lothian Council had advised people to stay clear of the animal if it does come onto the beach in the coming hours.

The local authority has since confirmed that crews arrived on the scene to remove the whale at about 9pm yesterday evening.

By 11pm the whale had been removed.

The whale was in a bad state of decomposition, but council officials confirmed that the area had been disinfected and was now safe.

The whale is the third minke to have washed up in North Berwick in recent months.