Experts have warned people to stay away from a dolphin seen off Sussex beaches.

The badly-scarred 10ft-long bottlenose dolphin was spotted near Felpham beach, Bognor, yesterday when children waded into the shallows to touch it.

Witness Monika Smith said: "A crowd of children had gathered around the dolphin and they half-heartedly tried to guide it out to sea.

"Being kids they wanted to play with the dolphin as it swam around them.

"An RSPCA officer arrived and told people in the water to come out and get away from the creature.

"Within minutes, the dolphin started heading out to the open water."

A spokesman for the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society said: "This particular animal is approximately eight years old and weighs 1,000lb.

"He was first sighted in May and has been seen all along the coast from Cornwall to Bognor.

"He is not a plaything and people are warned to stay away from him. Groups of up to 60 people at a time have been seen trying to touch him and he is naturally getting more and more distressed.

"Being surrounded by people like this makes the animal feel cornered and trapped and he will try and get away by splashing his powerful tail.

"A few days ago a small child was nipped by the aggravated dolphin and the child's father punched the dolphin on the head. This is actually illegal."