by Nathan Rao

Strong winds are thought to have caused the death of thousands of starfish washed up on two of the Island’s beaches.
The starfish were reported to the Environment Agency on Monday morning. Thousands were washed up on the beach at Leysdown and Warden Bay.
Environment Agency spokesman Lucy Harding said although it could have been caused by a virus or bacterial infection, it was more likely to have been caused by the strong winds during the past week.
She said starfish stick to the bottom of the sea bed, but when it is windy they come loose and cannot re-attach themselves. They end up getting washed up on the beach and dying.
She said it is not unusual for this to happen and, because they live in large colonies, thousands can get washed up at a time. Ms Harding said: “It is an amazing sight. Although there are a few reasons that this type of thing can happen, it is very likely it is due to the extreme winds that have been experienced over the past week. We have had similar things happen in Thanet and Brighton.”
After the Environment Agency was informed, it was reported to the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aqua Culture (CEFAS) – experts in fish and shellfish diseases.
Ms Harding said although CEFAS could decide to investigate the matter, because the starfish had been washed up for some time the cause may never be found, as scientific investigations need to be carried out quickly after death.
She said: “We will wait to see if an investigation is carried out.
“The starfish will decay naturally and do not need to be cleaned up as they do not pose any pollution threat. They break down quite quickly.
“Although it is sad to see such large numbers of starfish in this way, it should not impact on the populations of starfish.”