Thirty porbeagle sharks spotted off North Yorkshire coast during heatwave

The heatwave is attracting more sharks to UK waters and around 30 porbeagles have been spotted off the coast of North Yorkshire over the past couple of weeks.

Marine experts said they saw six porbeagle sharks, a close relative of the Great White, and humpback whales in deep water off the north east coast, while wildlife officers saw the 30 sharks further south off North Yorkshire.

Sharks are often sighted in southern England but the increasing heat in the North Sea has seen their arrival in the north of the country.

The Orca Trust spotted the animals while whale watching on a DFDS ferry from Newcastle to Amsterdam.

Alison Lomax, Community Engagement Officer for ORCA, told Sky Tyne and Wear: "We think the sharks we have seen are porbeagles.

"They are about three metres in length. They look and move very differently to whales.

"We have sent the photographs to the Shark Trust but we think they are porbeagles - which are three metre long, really big sharks.

"Normally we never spot these sharks so far North but because of the hot weather we're seeing stranger things."

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Alison added: "They were about 20 kilometres off the coast of North Yorkshire and there have been seven sightings of groups of around four in the last few weeks."

Porbeagle sharks are a member of the Great White family and although they are capable of doing so, they are not know to attack humans. They generally prefer cooler water and may have been heading north to cool off as temperatures rise in the British summer.

Related articles

Diver confronted by 'killer' blue sharks in Cornwall

'Starving' sharks attack boat in Cornwall

Tourist beach in Wales closed after blue shark sighting

%VIRTUAL-Gallery-172517%