Sperm Whale Fighting For Life Is Refloated After Being Washed Up On British Coast Following 23 Deaths From The Same North Sea Pod - But Rescuers Say 30-Tonne Bull Is 'Unlikely To Survive'

The 30-tonne whale, which was alive when it was found beached at Hunstanton in Norfolk this morning at around 7.30am, is now flapping around in the sea (main picture and top left) with high tide due in the next hour. 

But exhausted by its ordeal and stuck in shallow water rescuers have been pouring buckets of water on to its skin in what is likely to be its final hours. 

The British Divers Marine Life Rescue has admitted: 'The best thing to do is to let nature take its course' explaining 'even if the whale is lifted alive by the tide it is highly unlikely that it would survive'. 

If it dies it will mean 24 from the same pod have died on the North Sea coastline in the past month and eight were found dead in Friedrichskoog, Germany, three days ago (top right).