Bathers at West Wittering beach were hauled out of the water when a Portuguese man-of-war, said to give 'excruciatingly painful' stings, was sighted.

"These are extremely rare and this is the first time we've had any type of jellyfish on our beach," said David Piper, estate manager of West Wittering Estate.

"We put the red flag up and took everybody out of the water. To put it into perspective, the creatures have washed up over 14 miles of coastline. We've advised people not to go into the sea."

The 15 sea creatures have so far been found at East Wittering, West Wittering, Bracklesham Bay and Selsey.

Staff at the West Wittering beach resort were alerted on Saturday, August 16, about a Portuguese man-of-war which had floated in at Selsey.

On Sunday, August 17, two were found at West Wittering beach and another one was caught on Monday, August 18.

The three creatures have been kept in a bucket.

Chichester District Council has put signs on beaches to warn people of the creatures.

It has asked the public to be vigilant and it has ensured that itsforeshore team is closely monitoring all the area's beaches.

Jessica Holmes (six) spotted the creature at East Wittering beach by her home in Marine Drive.

Her dad Jonathan said: "I've been stung by one before and it's very unpleasant. It's like lots of wasp stings all in one go.

"We live right on the beach. I scooped it up into a bucket and we kept it in our back garden."

A Portuguese man-of-war was often considered a jellyfish, but is actually a colony of specialised polyps and medusoids which live beneath a gas-filled sac called an air bladder.

Experts believe the recent weather conditions have caused the creatures to be washed into UK waters. The sting is said to be excruciatingly painful.

A council spokesman said: "If any members of the public do find a Portuguese man-of-war, we would advise them to refrain from touching it and to contact the council immediately.

"If someone believes they have been stung they should seek medical attention."

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