A dead dolphin was found washed up on shore near Bournemouth Pier by tourists. 

In the area for a family visit, Lottie Hippisley, From St. Albans, and her family found a dead dolphin on Bournemouth beach on February 18. 

Lottie and her family were out first thing in the morning and found the discovery near Happyland a 'shock'. 

She said: "We quite literally stumbled across it when we were walking along the beach on Sunday. We were just visiting for the weekend and my husband noticed something quite large on the beach. 

"We thought it might be a bag or someone's belongings left over so we wandered over to discover it was a dolphin."

Lottie tried to call the council to alert them who responded to the event. 

Rangers and Seafront Cleansing Team appeared at the scene to help dispose of the body. 

Lottie said: "They thought it was probably quite a young dolphin and they had arranged for it to be collected one of their tractors. 

"It was horrible, really quite shocking to see. I was with my son who is almost two who had never seen a dolphin in his life and is very shocked by anything. 

"It had been quite bitten by birds who were swooping down to bite it but it was fascinating to see it up close."

BCP Council stated that due to the seaside location of Bournemouth, the event is not a rare occurrence. 

Cllr Millie Earl, deputy leader of BCP Council and portfolio holder for connected communities, has said the body has been appropriately dealt with. 

She said: "On Sunday 18 February our rangers and seafront beach cleansing team sadly discovered the body of a dolphin washed ashore on Bournemouth beach.

“The carcass was appropriately disposed of by our teams the same day. The UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme have been informed.

“As we live on the coast and because of the ecological richness of BCP regions waters, it is not uncommon to see dead marine creatures washed ashore.

“To report a washed-up animal, contact our Resort Information Team on 01202 123800 or bournemouth.seafront@bcpcouncil.gov.uk."