THE cause of death of a whale which washed up on a beach may remain a mystery after a proper examination was unable to be carried out.

Last month, a 40-foot juvenile fin whale was spotted in shallow sea waters in Holland-on-Sea, not far from the Kings Cliff Hotel and just over a mile from Clacton Pier.

Emergency services immediately cordoned off four miles of beaches through fear the whale’s carcass could prove hazardous to tourists, swimmers, and locals.

After a mammoth effort from various authorities, including The Big Ocean Clean Up, the deceased whale was eventually cut up and removed the following day.

Initially, experts believed the large marine mammal may have died as a result of sustaining a punctured lung, after coming into contact with a commercial ship

The true cause of death, however, may now never be known, after investigations helmed by The Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme, were halted.

The programme has been as good as shut down throughout the duration of the lockdown, due to social distancing restrictions in place because of coronavirus.

Rob Deaville, who works for the organisation, was eventually given the go-ahead to visit the site alone, in order to take samples and collect data.

But, by the time he was able to do so, the extent of the whale’s decomposition renders any investigations meaningless.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Deaville said: “The animal was too far gone for a meaningful post-mortem examination to take place.”