A POTENTIALLY deadly sea creature has been spotted washed up on Borth beach, as experts warn of the UK coast being “invaded” following recent hurricanes and extreme weather conditions.

Martin Koffer spotted the Portuguese man o’ war, a jellyfish-like creature usually found in the Atlantic Ocean, on Borth beach on Sunday.

The man o’ war have tentacle-like polyps that can give an agonising and potentially lethal sting if touched.

The sting is particularly dangerous to small children.

Martin told the Cambrian News: “There were two of these very dangerous creatures washed up on Borth beach today [Sunday].

“Maybe swimmers should be aware?”

The largest concentration of Portuguese man o’ war jellyfish since 2003 are washing up on UK shores, according to the Marine Conservation Society (MCS).

Swimmers are being advised to wear full body suits to protect themselves, while parents taking children to the beach have been warned to exercise “extreme caution”.

Dr Peter Richardson, head of ocean recovery at the Marine Conservation Society, said: ‘Portuguese man o’ war are ocean-going animals, propelled by the wind on their inflatable sail as they fish the depths with their stinging tentacles.

“It’s the tentacle-like polyps that can give an agonising and potentially lethal sting."

If you spot a Portuguese man o’ war then report the sighting immediately, ideally with a picture, to www.mcsuk.org

See this week’s south editions for the full story, in shops and online on Wednesday