Thousands of dead starfish found on Pensarn beach in Wales

Shocked amateur photographer, Gordon McGookin, initially thought that Pensarn beach was covered in rubbish when he went out for a walk on Sunday.

On a closer inspection, he discovered thousands of starfish and razor clams spread out across 500 metres of sand.

Mr McGookin, aged 39 who lives in Pensarn, said: "I try to get out each day usually walking on the beach. It was Sunday when I spied them, just after the tide had gone out.

"There was thousands of them. I have never seen anything like it before. I was a bit concerned but I guess the recent rough sea and high tides over the last week or two was probably the cause."

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Mr McGookin, who enjoys photography as a hobby, took some pictures and a video.

Charlie Lindenbaum, marine monitoring ecologist for Natural Resources Wales, said: "Unfortunately, this kind of event is relatively common along the coast of Wales. The recent stormy weather and strong, northerly winds will cause creatures like this to be washed on the shore so it is most likely a natural occurrence.

"We would ask that if people do see things like this to report it to us. We can then investigate to make sure there is nothing else to blame for the event and it also gives us an opportunity to learn more about the fantastic species we have along our coast and does show the diverse and rich wildlife we have in Wales."

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