These photos show an invasion of giant jellyfish washing up on Formby Beach in the middle of Merseyside's mini-heatwave.
The creatures could be seen lining the shore on Saturday morning, clustered in groups where the waves washed up on the sand.
As families descended on the beach to soak up the summer sun, large groups of jellyfish could be seen randomly washed up in the sea water.
ECHO photographer Colin Lane spotted the jellyfish on his Saturday morning dog walk and said some of the creatures were "twice the size" of dinner plates.
Jellyfish tend to travel in groups, called blooms, and sometimes rough winds, swells and currents send them to shore at once.
While these large jellyfish seemed to be largely concentrated within the waves, they can quickly die after washing up on shore because they are mostly made of water.
It is unclear whether the jellyfish washed up on Formby Beach are the sort that can sting - but some jellyfish can still sting after they have died, so it's advised not to touch a dead jellyfish if you don’t know what kind it is.
When jellyfish lose their typical round shape and become flat, they are dead - but the creatures captured in Colin's photos are round and freshly washed ashore, meaning they may still be alive.
Formby Beach is expected to be busy this weekend, with Liverpool set to bask in a few more days of pleasant weather - with the exception of a possible storm forecast on Saturday afternoon.
On Friday afternoon, temperatures reached a balmy 25 C, making it the hottest day of the year so far on Merseyside.
