Autumnal equinox blamed for dead sea life

A local woman made the unusual discovery at the beach she walks every day.

Kay Sweeney told The Times: “The tide was out and there were just thousands upon thousands of dead lugworms – they were like a carpet.

“I looked closer under the water and there were dead shellfish and crabs floating about too.

“It looked like there was something seriously wrong.

“I’ve always lived by the sea and have never seen anything like that in my life.”

The lugworm, or sandworm, is a large marine worm.

Its coiled castings are a familiar sight on beaches at low tide but the animal itself is rarely seen except by those who, either from curiosity or to use as fishing bait, dig the worm out of the sand.

Kay reported her findings to Coleraine Borough Council as she was concerned that the dead worms were the result of sea pollution.

But a Council spokeswoman said it was possible the lugworm deaths could be attributed to the autumnal equinox, which can cause extreme high and low tides, greatly unsettling the habitats of local lugworms and shellfish.