A runner says he was left “heartbroken and shocked” after coming across hundreds of dead starfish washed up on a beach.

The aquatic creatures were found on Botany Bay at about 7am yesterday by local Ben Waldron, who was on his morning run.

The 34-year-old told KentOnline: “It broke my heart.

“I started to see a few of them and as I walked it just became more and more and more.

“It was shocking - there must have been thousands.

“It just went on and on.

“The most upsetting thing was the number of baby starfish among those that had been killed.”

He felt “utter sadness” on discovering the scene, and has reported the incident to the Environment Agency.

The cause has not yet been determined, but authorities are investigating how the creatures died.

Mr Waldron, who lives in Westwood, added: “I’ve never seen anything like it and I run that way every day.

“I’ve maybe seen one or two on the beach before.

“The friend I was with had never seen anything like it either.”

Most of the starfish have now been washed out to sea by the tide.

A Environment Agency spokesman said: “We were not aware of dead starfish being washed up on Botany Bay in Broadstairs, but we will now investigate.

“You can report sightings like this to us on our free 24/7 incident hotline number 0800 80 70 60.”

Southern Water reported there have been no sewage releases in the area that could have affected the marine invertebrates.

A spokesman added: “We are aware of reports of stranded starfish in the area of Botany Bay, Broadstairs.

“There has been no recent storm overflow activity in this area.

“Sightings like these are not unusual, and are often linked to recent rough seas.

“We have made the Environment Agency aware.”

A similar incident happened in 2019 when countless numbers of the creatures washed up on a shore in Leysdown.

It was thought strong winds in the area at the time blew them to shore.