Cold Weather Sees Thousands Of Dead Starfish Wash Up On UK Coast

Starmageddon is upon us, and we have the Beast from the East to blame. Tens of thousands of everyone's favourite five-pointed fish have turned up dead on a beach in Kent, apparently killed by the plummeting temperatures and extreme conditions that we all enjoyed last week.

Lara Maiklem, an amateur photographer, captured the snaps of the starfish graveyard in Ramsgate, on the north Kent coast, while out taking her kids for a walk. She was with Edie and Beau, both five, when they came across the scenes. They tried to help the starfish back to see, but the majority were too far gone to be saved.

"The beast killed quite a lot of creatures," said Lara, 47. "We save as many as we could but it was like the armageddon.

"There were starfish as far as the eye could see, there were fish in there and sea urchins. I think someone found a lobster in there as well - and some false teeth. It was amazing."

Laura Maiklem/SWNS

She added that the starfish debris went all the way from Ramsgate up to Broadstairs, several miles up the coast.

Lara is something of an expert on the marine life of the area and is currently working on a book about her experiences beachcombing the Kent coast and along the banks of southern England's most famous river.

"I live on the coast but I spend most of my time in London mudlarking in the Thames," she explained.

Laura Maiklem/SWNS

Mudlarking and beachcombing involve walking alongside the water and observing the life there, with the difference being that beachcombing takes place on a beach, while mudlarking is on the side of a river.

Lara posted the photos of the starfish devastation to a Mudlarker's facebook group, which boasts over 30,000 members. Many of them commented and shared stories from beaches in other ares that had been affected, with comments ranging from 'spectacular' to 'sad indeed'.

There were stories of beaches covered in other marine life, such as razor clams.

Laura Maiklem/SWNS

The huge starfish graveyard is not that uncommon, according to Chris Keyworth, a poster in the London Mudlarkers Facebook Group.

"It's a natural phenomenon which happens all around our coast every year without the storms, normally you get one or the other dying off in stages - one day it's crabs, the next it's sea stars, the next jellyfish," he wrote.

Topics: UK News, Beast From The East, Storm Emma, Weird, Animals

Mike Wood

Mike Meehall Wood is a freelance journalist and translator. He writes for LADbible, VICE and countless sports publications, focusing on rugby league, football and boxing. He is a graduate of Leeds University and maintains a fizzy pop obsession. Contact Mike at [email protected]