Dolphins ‘proof’ of town’s clean water

Sailor Simon Redfearn filmed the bottlenose dolphins in the Irish Sea.

The stunning footage was taken around half-a-mile from the beach, with South and Central piers and the Pleasure Beach’s Big One ride clearly visible in the background.

“It’s great to see these dolphins are enjoying our warm sea water at the moment,” said Coun Fred Jackson, Blackpool Council’s cabinet member for municipal assets.

“Our bathing waters are cleaner than ever before.”

Mr Redfearn filmed the dolphin pod earlier in the week after embarking on a day’s sailing from Lytham.

“At about noon, after we’d anchored near Central Pier to have lunch, we saw the dolphins,” he said.

“They seemed to be playing and showing great interest in the boat, weaving in and out and under the keel.

“It has to be one of the most amazing things that I have experienced and I consider myself to be extremely lucky.

“I quickly grabbed my tablet that I use for navigation and videoed them as best I could.”

Spotting dolphins off the shore in Blackpool isn’t unheard of. Pods tend to visit in June and July most years and stay for several days.

And Coun Jackson says the people of the resort can all do their bit to help make dolphin visits more regular.

“Our marine wildlife is an important reason why we all need to do our bit,” he said.

“Simple things like picking up your litter and not putting the wrong things down the drains and the toilet make a big difference to the sea water and these cute creatures’ natural habitats.”

All you need to know about bottlenose dolphins – and how best to see them

Want a few interesting facts about bottlenose dolphins?

• They have the largest brain-to-body mass ratio of any mammal on Earth;

• Found in warm and temperate seas worldwide, they live in groups of 10 to 30, though groups vary from a few to more than 1,000.

• Their diets consist mainly of forage fish like herrings and sardines.

• Regular dolphin and whale watches are held at the Solaris Centre on South Promenade throughout July. Anybody interested in taking part can contact the Solaris Centre on (01253) 478020.