(CNN) Thousands of dead starfish have washed up on British beaches in what has been dubbed "starfish Armageddon" following last week's unseasonably cold weather.

A beach in Kent in southeastern England was covered with starfish and other marine life after last week's "Beast from the East" cold snap joined forces with Storm Emma, causing high winds and sending temperatures plunging below zero.

Thousands of dead marine creatures washed up on the beaches of Kent, southern England.

"It is not until you see it for yourself that you can appreciate the scale and numbers of dead sea life washed up on the beach," Keith Ross, an eyewitness, told CNN. "The locals have never seen anything like it."

Ross said the sub-zero weather from Siberia had a direct effect on marine creatures. "That has killed lots of wildlife including sea birds like gannets," he added.

Ross, a birdwatcher, estimated that there were "tens of thousands" of starfish on one section of the beach.

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