There have been swarms of jellyfish washing up on beaches and shorelines across Furness.

Dozens have washed up at beaches at Bardsea, Roanhead and Askam as well as the marshland at Kirkby-in-Furness.

One reader reported counting 200 dead jellyfish near Rampside.

Cumbria Wildlife Trust has identified them as barrel jellyfish.

Barrel jellyfish, the UK’s largest species, can grow up to 90cm across and weigh up to 35kg.

They are a common species and can normally be spotted between the warmer months of May and October.

These large jellyfish swarm in warm coastal waters through late spring and often wash up on our beaches in May or June, sometimes in their hundreds.

Their favourite meal is plankton, which can be found in shallow waters, and is often the reason why they wash up as the jellyfish follow their food yet cannot swim directionally so wash up on the sand.

You can identify a barrel jelly by its large translucent body with a huge mushroom-shaped bell and a bunch of eight 'frilly' tentacles.

Their arms contain small stinging tentacles and surround hundreds of little mouths. Barrel jellyfish also have a violet fringe around the bell which contains their sense organs.

The sting of the barrel jellyfish is not normally harmful to humans but they can still sting when dead. If you are walking your dog, it is best to keep them far away from them.

Beth Churn is a Marine Conservation Officer for Cumbria Wildlife Trust. She advises anyone who sees a jellyfish on the beach to leave them alone.

Because they are out of water, the jellyfish are likely already dead so there is no point in you risking getting stung to put them back in the water.

Beth said: “We’ve noticed large numbers of barrel jellyfish on the coast in recent weeks. The recent warm weather probably just means there’s lots of algae, and jellyfish bloom or swarm when there is a lot of food around. Because there are more in the sea, more are washing up. They aren’t able to swim directionally, so if they get caught in currents or the tide and get carried into shallow water, they get stuck and wash up on beaches.”