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A stranded harbour porpoise was saved and put back into the sea on Friday.

The British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) team was first alerted to the marooned mammal at Seaham by a member of the public.

After judging the animal to be healthy, volunteers from the team used a tarpaulin to move it back into the sea.

The porpoise may have got stuck after following a fish it was trying to eat, a BDMLR spokesperson said.

Porpoise strandings are not common in the UK and only about three or four occur each year, the spokesperson said.

The mammals can get stranded if they are ill or sometimes due to “navigational error”, she said.

In this case, the BDMLR judged the animal to be healthy and so suspect it had been chasing a fish.

The team lifted the porpoise on to a tarpaulin and then went into the sea with it.

“It takes a few minutes for the animal to get used to the waves,” she said.

Porpoises should not be out of water for too long, so the advice to anyone who finds one is to call the BDMLR as soon as possible.

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