Whale moves on

The sperm whale which attracted crowds to Kirkwall Pier this morning has disappeared, giving hope that the creature may survive, despite being only yards from shore earlier today.

Orkney SSPCA officer Mike Lynch said that it seemed to be a happy ending to the story, although the whale may end up reappearing elsewhere in Orkney.

He added: “Around 1pm the whale was seen from a local boat heading out into deeper water in Kirkwall Bay. It seemed to be full of energy compared to earlier this morning.”