RESCUE teams from Chepstow were among the first to reach a whale that became stranded on the shore near the old Severn Bridge.

The young animal was a rare beaked whale and despite attempts to save it, a vet eventually decided the most humane option was to put it to sleep.

Members of the Severn Area Rescue Association and the Chepstow Coastguard attended the whale which came ashore at Aust in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Members of the British Divers Marine Life rescue group were also involved in the attempt to get the calf back into the river.

Fire crews from Patchway and Bedminster used water hoses to keep the whale alive while the vet assessed its health.

The whale was taken away for autopsy and the incident was reported for the Receiver of Wrecks and the Natural History Museum.

The study of beaked whales is in its early stages because they usually live in deep water and what little is known about them has come from investigations of stranded animals.