The public has been warned to stay away from a 30ft decomposed whale carcass after it was discovered on a popular beach.

Marine experts believe the heavily decomposed minke whale, found at Belhaven beach near Dunbar on Sunday night, may have been entangled in creel ropes.

The animal is believed to have been dead for several weeks but experts say it is too decomposed for this to be confirmed.

If trapped, the mammal may not have been able to surface on a regular basis to breathe or be able to feed on its usual prey of fish, squid and krill.

Sam Christopherson, director of Coast to Coast Surf School, said they became aware of the whale this morning when one of their teachers went out to give a session.

He said: "It is so big. The whale is definitely a lot bigger than the usual animals that get washed up on this beach.

"We will usually get a few whales, seals and dolphins a year here.

"It is horrendous for the animal. It's such a shame to see these kind of incidents."

Teams from the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme and East Lothian Council have also been at the scene.

A Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme spokesman said: "The minke whale was reported to us late on Sunday.

"It's been dead for several weeks. There are some lesions suggestive of entanglement in creel ropes but the animal is too decomposed for necropsy to confirm this."

With an autopsy to determine the cause of death out of the question, the whale will most likely be disposed of by East Lothian Council at the landfill site in Dunbar.

Minkes are the most common whales in Scottish waters, especially during the summertime.