A SEA creature washed up on the seafront by Storm Ciara has sparked speculation.

Hove resident Robert Murphy-Smith spotted the fish when he was walking on the promenade near the King Alfred leisure centre on Thursday afternoon.

“I thought it was a little shark at first,” he said.

“My cousin said it looked like a pleco but we’re both not sure.

“It just looks like a little fish feeding on the bottom of the sea.

“We were going to try and put it back on the beach but it was dead.

“I’ve never seen anything like it on the beach.”

The creature looks similar to a dogfish, a type of small shark which is common in the waters around Sussex.