Sixteen wheelbarrows of jellyfish wash up at pool
Bude Sea PoolAbout 16 wheelbarrows worth of jellyfish have washed up at a seaside pool, staff have said.
Jodie Harper from Bude Sea Pool, in Cornwall, said the concrete terrace at the tidal swimming baths "was completely covered" and the shallows filled with them after high tide on Thursday.
She said: "We have never seen anything like it. Once they're stranded out of the water they don't survive for long so there was nothing we could do to save them."
Experts said in recent days more jellyfish had been seen inshore, due to calmer waters, and some species often seen in the Mediterranean had also been spotted off the UK coast.
Mark Thomas/ Wildlife Trusts"Lots of blue jellyfish" have been seen off Wembury Marine Centre, Devon, said the county's wildlife trust, with compass jellyfish seen in other parts of the UK.
Devon Wildlife Trust's Coral Smith said jellyfish sightings were "quite common and expected at this time of year" and "they rely on the ocean currents to move around, so they will have got swept in perhaps on windy days", then staying inshore in calm weather.
She said there had been "a few reports" in the region of mauve jellyfish from the Mediterranean linked to warmer seas and heatwaves.
Smith, marine education officer, said the mauve jellyfish "can pack quite a sting" and explained they sting "what they think is prey".
"Some people can be quite sensitive to them and other people tolerate them better."
She advised if stung to get the tentacles off with a credit card or similar and have a "really good rinse with lukewarm water," take an antihistamine if needed and get help from the emergency department "if it is really bad".
Smith said: "The species of jellyfish do tend to change" and "the early signs are there" that more jellyfish are being seen in warmer weather.
"The species that favour warmer waters are likely to do quite well."
Harper added in Bude mainly moon jellyfish were seen at the outdoor pool with "a couple of blue and a barrel jellyfish both of which can give a mild sting and are best observed from a distance".
Smith urged people to report any sightings to help build up a picture of species appearing.