A BOTTLENOSE dolphin has been seen from Somerset's coastline and photographed for possibly the first time ever.

Louise Christiaans, a volunteer for Somerset Seawatch and the Somerset Wildlife Trust, spotted the dolphin from Hurlstone Point between Porlock Weir and Minehead.

"I was treated to the most incredible sight I've ever seen in Somerset," Louise said.

"It was a pot luck shot that I thought was a harbour porpoise from a distance.

"I managed to take the shots up on Hurlstone whilst carrying out survey work."

Louise works as part of a small team on Somerset Wildlife Trust's Hurlstone Porpoise Monitoring Project, which runs from May to October each year.

Also a student studying an advanced diploma in Marine Zoology, she hopes this rare sighting will help encourage the public to get involved with surveying Somerset's coastline by reporting their own sightings, or even volunteering their time to help.

"The more we have, the better our knowledge is on the health of our coastline," she said.