Thousands of sea creatures blanketed the beach in Ramsgate on England's south coast in one of the biggest mass strandings on record in the UK.

They appeared on 3 March, after Britain spent a week enduring freezing temperatures and stormy weather. Starfish covered most of the beach, but other marine life was washed up as well, including fish and sea urchins. The trail reportedly stretched from Ramsgate to other beaches in the area, including Broadstairs, and it is thought that the challenging weather conditions were the cause. Frank Leppard, a local photographer who took the above image, said he had 'never seen so much dead sea life in one spot'. The Marine Conservation Society also reported that hundreds of lobsters, clams, bryozoans, anemones and starfish have been washed up on a beach in East Yorkshire.

Dead starfish & lobsters have been washed up & scattered on UK beaches after the recent cold weather https://t.co/BhfeoCl6Rn pic.twitter.com/rImEMr62n9 — BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) March 5, 2018

Andrew Cabrinovic, the Museum's curator of echinoderms, looks after its collection of starfish specimens. He says, 'Starfish strandings such as this one are not unusual, and occur to a greater or lesser degree every year. However, strandings on this scale do not happen often.' Andrew added that stormy weather is the most likely explanation, as water currents become stronger and wash the starfish to the shore. Starfish live on the soft, sandy parts of the ocean floor, and are easily picked up by currents and waves. Heavy storms can cause even deep water to move and affect offshore starfish populations. Changing tides, high winds and sea swell could also be factors in how many end up on beaches.