Deadly Jellyfish Heading to British Beaches?

Thousands of "killer jellyfish" invade British beaches due to warmer climate.

16:35 01 December 2015

Thousands of poisonous species of jellyfish have invaded several British beaches. Known as mauve stinger or Pelagia noctiluca, they were found in Lusty Glaze, Tolcarne, Great Western, Towan, and Little Fistral, Newquay, Cornwall.

 

An eyewitness, Jane Griffiths said: “They stretch along the shoreline as far as the eye can see,”

 

“There must be hundreds of thousands of them.”

 

Contact with their long tentacles trigger stinging cells with spiny filaments wound up like springs. These filaments can then inject toxins into the skin leading to nasty burns and irritation.

 

A spokesman for Cornwall Wildlife Trust, said: "This jellyfish can have a potent sting (as a member of the Trust found out surfing the other day) so be careful not to handle them - the stinging capsules still function automatically when an object comes into contact and even dead jellyfish can still sting."

 

If stung by a jellyfish, you must:

 

·       Alert any lifeguard on duty or anyone trained in first aid

 

·       Scrape off any tentacles

 

·       Rinse the wound with salt water and vinegar

 

·       Put an ice bag onto the affected area to minimise pain