All 10 sperm whales stranded near Withernsea, East Yorkshire, have died, British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR)  has confirmed.

A spokeswoman for the BDMLR said reports of more whales at Spurn Point have been checked and nothing has been found.

She said: “We can only hope that there are no more whales still in the area that might yet come ashore.

“We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks and gratitude to all of our team involved on the ground and behind the scenes in this awful situation today, of all days for it to happen on, as well as our colleagues in the Maritime and Coastguard Agency who have been on scene all day dealing with these tragic and difficult circumstances.”

The British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) said four of the group in difficulty near Withernsea had initially been confirmed to be still alive - but were believed to be in a poor nutritional condition.

At least two of the animals have been washed up on the beach.

The BDMLR, which was called out at 8.30am today, said the North Sea is a difficult environment for sperm whales as the shallow water has few of the deep water squids they usually feed on, and they rarely survive beach strandings due to their size.

The organisation said it could not currently attempt any rescue due to poor weather and rough sea conditions.

A BDMLR spokeswoman said: "Due to the size of the sperm whale - males reaching around 20 metres long and weighing up to 80 tonnes - it's not possible to move these animals once stranded, and due to their size they rarely survive long once on land."

The alarm was raised with the coastguard after members of the public said they believed seven whales were stranded close to the beach at Waxholme.

People who filmed the flailing animals expressed their concern on social media.

The BDMLR said sperm whales are the largest of the toothed whales and are usually found in deep offshore waters.

They can dive up to 2,000 metres in search of food, which is mostly large or medium-sized squid which is not abundant in the North Sea.

A spokeswoman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: "Just before 8.30am today HM Coastguard received a 999 call from a member of the public with a report of seeing a number of whales on the shoreline at Withernsea beach.

"Coastguard rescue teams from Withernsea, Hornsea and Easington have been sent.

"The relevant authorities have been informed including the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's Receiver of Wreck, the local authority and the British Divers Marine Life Rescue who are also on the scene to assess the situation.

"Members of the public are asked to stay away from the scene to allow the authorities to work safely."