'Shark' shock on beach as dog walker stumbles upon 3ft 6 sea beast in rock pools

A dog walker was left stunned after spotting a washed-up 'shark' in Hartlepool.

John Haywood was walking his pooch along the seaside town's sandy shores on Monday when he stumbled across the sea beast in rock pools opposite Marine Drive. The 67-year-old believes the suspected shark, which was deceased, was around 3ft 6 inches long.

The Blackhall resident said it was around 9.30am when he made the unusual discovery alongside his wife Sandra, 66, and explained that the tide was "really low" at the time. Pictures of the 'shark' appear to show some injuries to its head - which John believes may have been caused by either an accident at sea or after it was attacked by another fish.

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It hasn't been confirmed what type or animal the creature is.

He told Teesside Live: "I was on the Headland beach where the rocks are, opposite Marine Drive. We'd gone down the beach and onto the rock pools. It was about 3ft 6. I have no idea what type of shark it was. I don't know whether anyone else would have found it after we did because the tide was low at the time and the chances are it has been washed out to sea by now."

It's not very often that one of these predators of the deep washes up onto a Teesside beach, or is seen off the coast of Teesside full stop. But that doesn't mean it hasn't happened before - with Teesside Live reporting how several dead sharks were found washed up on Redcar beach back in 2020.

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