a 15ft ( 4 . 5 inches ) northern bottle - eyed whales has been spotted running in the river thames in central middlesex , london . the " white whale " managed to swim up beyond the thames barrier and under many houses , reaching as long as chelsea before it turned off just before albert station . itv research helicopters scrambled to provide live tv footage of the whale , and large spectators lined the banks of the street . the whale is said to be very well , though some concern that the whales will beach itself as it tried to do before rescuers forced it forward into the flow of the rivers . rarely found in the north atlantic , there have been sightings of a first version near southend .
The River Thames flows through London.