A fish usually found in tropical waters has been discovered by dog walkers at Seasalter beach.

Vicki Oliver posted a picture on Facebook after spotting a sunfish on the shingle last week.

She said: “We were walking the dogs near the beach huts and I had never seen anything like it before.

“Quite often when we take the dogs for a walk I see catfish washed up.

“But I just wanted to know what it was so I posted it on Facebook to find out.”

One of Vicki’s pictures shows her size six foot next to it.

She estimated it was just over a foot in height and two feet in length.

Gill Smith was taking a stroll along the seafront with her family when she came across the exotic fish on New Year's Eve.

She said: “While walking with my granddaughter Olivia today we came across a dead sunfish.

“Found this strange to find this species in our cold waters.”

But ocean sunfish are typically much larger with some almost two metres in length and weighing up to a tonne.

The species, known as mola mola, is regarded as the heaviest bony fish in existence and lives mainly on a diet of jellyfish.

West Whelks is a fresh shellfish wholesaler and retailer in Whitstable Harbour.

Owner Graham West said: “We don’t see this regularly.

“I can’t recall seeing or hearing about a sunfish being washed up around here before.

“But for some reason probably about once a year subtropical fish get lost and come up the channel.

“I know a few trigger fish have been caught at Chesil Beach in Dorset.”