Praise from council for river saviours

By Nub News Reporter 27th Sep 2026

Local News by Nub News Reporter 1 hour ago

THURROCK Council has expressed its official thanks to the British Divers Marine Life Rescue volunteers and the Port of London Authority, whose combined efforts meant that nearly all of a pod of around 25 Pilot whales that swam into the Thames near Tilbury made it safely back out to sea.

The drama played out over several days in the past week, starting with a report last Thursday afternoon (17 September) that a pod of deep ocean dolphins had been spotted in the Thames close to Coalhouse Fort at East Tilbury and Tilbury.

After days of concern, both organisations worked together to 'herd' the pod of whales back out to their natural habitat.

Tilbury St Chads ward councillor Bailey Scott, , said: "The sight of all those Pilot whales in the Thames by Tilbury was an extraordinary one, but also an extremely worrying one for local communities.

"These beautiful creatures found themselves in a very precarious situation where they were at terrible risk of being hurt or killed.

"Thankfully, the incredible skill and dedication of British Divers Marine Life Rescue and the Port of London Authority meant that nearly the entire pod was herded back out to sea.

"Although it is terribly sad that two of the whales lost their lives, were it not for the efforts of these organisations, it is highly likely that many more whales, possibly even the entire pod, could have perished on our shores.

"On behalf of the local community, I would like to thank these organisations and recognise the tremendous work they did over the weekend to save these pilot whales."

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Council leader Cllr Richard Bingley echoed Cllr Scott's words. He said: "The dedication of these two organisations, who spent many long hours over the weekend safely shepherding these magnificent animals over 20 miles out of the danger of the narrow estuary and into the safety of the open sea, was remarkable.

"As wondrous as the sight of a pod of whales might be, the truly inspiring thing about this is the skill and dedication of all who helped to save them."