Stunned motorists see rotting 50ft whale driven down A2 on lorry

Motorists were left stunned by the sight of a rotting 50ft whale being driven along a busy dual carriageway.

The sperm whale died more than a week ago after it became stranded near Seasalter, on the Kent coast.

Its rotting body was left unattended for five days before it was finally loaded onto the back of a lorry to be taken to a landfill site.

The corpse was strapped to the truck with part of the mammal hanging off the back.

A sheet of tarpaulin was draped over it but failed to hide all of the dead animal from passing motorists.

The sight and pungent smell of the whale travelling along the A2 towards Canterbury left some drivers choking at the wheel.

Mark Stephens, 41, took these photographs on his way home from work.

He said: 'There was a Land Rover in front and behind, flashing orange lights and this massive whale with its head and tail chopped off.

'There was blood and guts dropping off the back and everything.

'The smell was unbelievable. I've worked near an abattoir and that smelled bad, but this was something else.

'It was incredible really. You would have thought given the state it was in they would have transported it at night.

'I don't think I'll see anything like that again.'