Whale mania in Skegness: 'the car park was full and the beach was packed'

Stranding of three sperm whales drew crowds to the resort this week, but mourning locals were reluctant to talk of a boost to economy

Whale mania washed over Skegness and then it washed away again, as sure as the tide. On a bright sunny Thursday after the largest sperm whale stranding since records began, Impulse Tattoo was buzzing with business. Whale tattoos? "Nah," laughed the tattooist. "Haven't done any of those."

The Factory Rock Shop has purchased 30,000 sugar dummies hanging from lanyards reading "Angel" and "The Boss" for the summer season. Any whale-themed sweeties? "You don't want to be buying stuff just for today, you want to think ahead," said Hilary Fox.