Beach-goers were alarmed to find what they thought was a dead baby shark on rocks at a sandy stretch.

But they were wrong - it was in fact a dog-fish that had washed up on the shore at Folkestone's Sunny Sands.

Folkestone Rescue was informed and sent four crew members out to complete an "extensive search" of the area at about 12.15pm on Monday.

A statement on Folkestone Rescue's Facebook page said: "But with the tide on its way in, we were unable to locate any creature that may have become trapped."

By 12.45pm, the search was called off and crew returned to the beach so as not to be cut off by the incoming tide.

At the time they couldn't confirm what species the fish actually was, but later advised that it was probably a dog-fish.

A dog-fish is part of the shark family and is usually found in shallow waters.