A woman was left feeling confused after coming across 16 dead jellyfish on a beach in Heysham.

Lisa Lou was walking along Middleton Sands beach when she spotted the dead sea creatures on the shoreline.

She said: “We are new to Morecambe after moving here in February.

“We are now regular visitors to Middleton Sands and walk along it with our dogs.

“[On our latest visit] we were alarmed to see not one but 16 dead jellyfish on the sand that we came across and we could see more in the distance. Is this a normal thing to happen here?”

A spokesperson for the Lancashire Wildlife Trust said the animals in the pictures are barrel jellyfish, the largest species of jellyfish.

While it can be alarming to see dead jellyfish washed up on the beach, the head of marine at the north west wildlife trusts, Georgia de Jong Cleyndert, said it is normal at this time of year.

A spokesperson said: “At this time of year we get lots of jelly fish washing up on beaches because they are more abundant in the Irish Sea during summer months due to the warmer waters.

“This year we have particularly warmer waters in the Irish Sea due to both natural variability as well as climate change and so it’s likely that there will be more jellyfish in our coastal waters than normal.

“Jellyfish are creatures that drift in the ocean and have some swimming ability. Strong winds, tides, and currents can push jellyfish towards shore, causing them to wash up on beaches.

“Barrel jellyfish, compass jellyfish and moon jelly fish are the most commonly found along our coastline. Although other species such as blue jellyfish and the lions mane jellyfish are sometimes found too.”

Georgia said the barrel jellyfish in the pictures may have washed up while trying to eat plankton.

She also warned the public to stay away from them as they can still sting, even after death.

She said: “Their favourite meal is plankton, which can be found in shallow waters.

“This is what often causes them to wash up.

“The sting of the barrel jellyfish is not normally harmful to humans, though if you find one on the beach it's best not to handle it as they can still give a mild sting when dead.”