Purple jellyfish fill Ilfracombe harbour in Devon

Purple jellyfish fill Ilfracombe harbour in Devon

Tens of thousands of jellyfish have turned the sea purple in a stunning natural display.

Residents were left stunned as the water was filled with an unprecedented number of moon jellyfish at Ilfracombe harbour in north Devon.

Locals described the water as 'moving like purple jelly', with similar scenes repeated along the coast.

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Tens of thousands of jellyfish have turned the sea purple in a stunning natural display at Ilfracombe harbour in north Devon 

Experts said the rare display was likely caused by the recent heatwave, which warmed the water and gave the jellyfish an opportunity to multiply.

Shopkeeper Jeannette Cann captured the remarkable sight after being alerted by a customer about the jellyfish. 

The 50-year-old said: 'The water was literally moving like a purple jelly. It was an incredible sight. 

'I think it is fascinating what nature does and it was a very unexpected day. It was all around the area and a lot of beaches had it that day.' 

Local sdescribed the water as 'moving like purple jelly', with similar scenes repeated along the coast

She continued: 'We have only recently moved to the area and our reaction was just 'wow.' 

'But people who have lived here their whole lives say they have never seen anything like it before.'

However, Ms Cann said she was shocked to see that the jellyfish appeared to be dying. 

She said: 'The water looked purple, which was lovely, but it was still a rather shocking thing to see as most of them were dying. It was hard to see for that reason.

'They were there most of the day after the tide came in and afterwards were drying out on the beach.'

Experts said the rare display was likely caused by the recent heatwave, which warmed the water and gave the jellyfish an opportunity to multiply 

Moon jellyfish can give a mild sting but can't penetrate the skin and pose no real danger to people 

Ilfracombe harbourmaster Rob Lawson said the sight last Saturday was very unusual.

He said the large number was probably caused by the recent hot weather which warmed the water and gave the jellyfish an opportunity to multiply.

Mr Lawson added: 'Moon jellyfish can give a mild sting like a nettle but not as stingy because they can't penetrate the skin.'

Paula Ferris, chair of Coastwise North Devon, said the high number of jellyfish appear during the 'spring bloom' between May and June when the water is warmer.

She added: 'The moon jellyfish only eat plankton that are under a millimetre in size, smaller than the thickness of a strand of human hair, so pose no danger to people.

'But jellyfish do occasionally sting and touching them in sensitive areas, such as around the eyes, can be damaging.' 

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