Shark attack fears sparked in Kent by porpoise found with large ‘bite marks’ – but is all as it seems?

Dad-of-four Anthony Thurman-Newell, 42, discovered the animal with a ten inch gash torn away on Rotunda Beach in Folkestone, Kent, on Sunday.

It is an area where locals swim and kayak all year round.

Anthony, who lives with wife Julie, in nearby Broadstairs, said: “This was some beast not native to UK waters that did this.

“The wound clearly suggests it has been done by a sharp nosed shark. It is most likely a little great white, and it must be close.

“It was still bleeding and hadn’t rotted, so it’s not like this has been drifting for days and days – this was a fresh kill.

“The sea around here is at peak temperature in October so it’s still very warm and there are loads of swimmers around here. They need to be warned.”

Experts have said the wounds suffered by the porpoise are most likely to have been caused by scavengers feasting on the animal’s carcass – either at sea or on land.

Rob Deaville of the Zoological Society of London said:  “In terms of the damage to the carcass, in my opinion its most likely to be largely related to scavenger action.

“The damage on the underside of the body overlays the area of the genital region, which is often one of the areas initially targeted by scavengers.

“The tail flukes appear to have been cleanly excised and this is potentially consistent with the porpoise being by-caught (accidentally entangled in fishing gear), with post mortem removal of the flukes, whilst cutting it free from the entangling gear.”

A great white shark was reportedly spotted hunting off Britain’s coast a few months ago near Hayling Island in Hampshire.