Killer fish warning

Richard Tyrie was pooling between the Clock Tower and the De La Warr Pavilion.

When he reached into his net to retrieve a prawn he was stung by the fish on his thumb.

He said: "It felt like my hand wasdropping off. It was unbelievable. I could feel the pain creeping up my arm and the burning sensation became more intense".

Twenty-four hours later a large blister had formed and fallen off leaving a "huge great indentation" on his swollen hand.

Richard knew what he had been stung by and took immediate action to try and alleviate the pain and limit the effects of the venom. But he was alarmed at the lack of signs warning people of the danger and was concerned that a child may have suffered the same fate.

He said that he had collected 150 Weaver fish in his net over the space of 150 metres in water that was less than knee deep and believes the problem is widespread.

The 15cm Weaver fish has a prickly spine which injects lethal poison into the victim, causing great discomfort.

People have previously suffered severe reactions to the sting leading to fatal heart-attacks, respiratory failure or gangrene.

Rother coast control officer Patrick Meyer said there were more Weaver fish than he had ever seen before. They were here earlier this year.

Usually the seagulls feed off them when they have their young, but the warm Easter provided perfect breading ground for the Weavers and there were too many for the birds to eat.

Warning signs will now be displayed along the seafront and a cull is being considered.

People are usually stung on the foot because unsuspecting bathers tread on the Weavers which bury themselves in the sand close to the shoreline. He advised that everybody should wear shoes when bathing or playing near the water as a preventative measure.

He said in the event of a sting victims should submerge the affected body part in water that is as hot as possible and seek urgent medical attention.

The water should be topped up to maintain the temperature and the body part should remain in the water for as long as possible.