Giant jellyfish are causing a stir at Hove beach. 

Swimmer Nicola Wright spotted a 4ft long jellyfish when she went for a swim.

She said: “It did rather put me off my morning swim as I was worried there might be more floating about.

“I looked it up and I think it might be a barrel jellyfish.

“I have seen quite a lot of jellyfish this year but nothing anywhere near this big. It was huge.”

Mrs Wright sent her picture of the giant jellyfish to Brighton SeaLife Centre for help to identify it.

Experts are still trying to work out exactly what species it is but they agree that it could be a barrel jellyfish.

Barrel jellyfish normally live much further out to sea and rarely come near shore.

It is thought this year’s warm sea temperatures could be the cause for the invasion.

Another large polyp was videoed in the water trying to catch fish off Hove beach by Pete Turner, 45, of Lansdown Place.

He said: “I was sitting on the beach having a coffee.

“A woman went in for a swim. Just after she came out, I noticed what looked like weird plastic in front of me in the water.

“It was about the size of a football, a bit bigger. I took a closer look and saw it was a jellyfish.

“I don’t know what breed it is. I couldn’t say if it was alive or dead, it just floated on the current.”

Mr Turner said that a few minutes later, they saw a group of small fish jumping out of the water near where the jellyfish was swimming.

Jess Price, conservation officer at Sussex Wildlife Trust, said: “It looks like a barrel jellyfish and they can reach up to one metre in diameter.

“I know people have seen them around the Palace Pier and they end up wherever the current takes them.

“They all have stings but none of them are going to kill you.

“It’s not exactly rare or common and they can turn up pretty much anywhere.”