'Incredible' blue sea creatures appear on beaches

Hundreds of "incredible" blue sea creatures have washed up on beaches in Cumbria.

Velella velella, commonly known as by-the-wind sailors and closely related to the Portuguese man o' war, have been spotted on St Bees beach in recent weeks.

Their nickname comes from the small stiff sail which they use to catch the wind and propel them along an ocean's surface.

Resident Louise Nicholson initially thought the creatures - which can sting - were seaweed and "almost picked one up" before she began to take pictures.

She said: "There were hundreds of them and there were lots of visitors to the area taking photos.

"They are absolutely beautiful, only about 2ins (5cm) in size. It was a great find on a beautiful day."

Head of Marine at the Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Georgia de Jong Cleyndert, said although the "incredible" blue creatures looked like jellyfish, they were actually colonial hydrozoans.

She said: "Each by-the-wind sailor is made up of hundreds of tiny, specialised animals working together as a single floating colony.

"Although they are not jellyfish, they do have a very mild sting, even after they have washed up so do not touch them."

The specialist said the species' blue translucent sail allows them to drift huge distances across the surface of the sea.

"When conditions are right, particularly after periods of persistent onshore winds, thousands can be washed up along our shores," she said.

Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram and listen to Radio Cumbria on BBC Sounds.