About 70 dead fish have washed up on the north Kent coast - but the cause of the mass stranding is not known.

Residents in Herne Bay have been left baffled after a video emerged showing dozens of fish on a popular beach at Hampton.

An array of different species were found on the shore on Wednesday, with rotting carcasses covering the shingle.

“Tourists don't want to see that," the resident who recorded the footage told KentOnline.

"I would say there were about 70 dead fish... it was disgusting.

"I saw dabs, dogfish and smooth-hounds."

Experts at the Environment Agency think they may have been discarded by a fishing boat.

When commercial vessels dock, the crew often checks the value of the fish they have caught and if there is no commercial value, they will throw them overboard.

They may also cut the body off the fish as this can be sold, and leave the heads.

An Environment Agency spokesman said: “Specialist officers believe the large number of dead fish seen off Hampton Pier in Herne Bay in the past few days had been discarded by a fishing boat or boats.

"We have received no reports of pollution.

“Anyone can report environmental incidents around the clock to us on 0800 807060.”

Dead sea creatures have been found washed up on Kent's beaches on countless other occasions.

This has included everything from porpoises, seals and dolphins, to sharks, whales, and exotic species such as sunfish from warmer climes.

In July, a dead humpback whale washed up at St Mary’s Bay on Romney Marsh.

A month earlier, more than 700 dead fish were found floating on the surface of the River Stour in Wye near Ashford.

The Environment Agency suggested the cause may have been low levels of dissolved oxygen in the water, and the low atmospheric pressure caused by recent thunderstorms at the time.