ANOTHER giant jellyfish has been spotted off Weymouth, sparking fears of an invasion.

As reported in the Echo, Suzanne Sheldon found one washed-up barrel jellyfish on Portland beach.

Of her discovery, Suzanne, 48, said: "It was at least three feet in width and was very bulky too. It was the largest jellyfish I have ever seen."

But now she is not the only one to spot one of the creatures in the area- a worker at Weymouth's Sea Life Tower took a snap when he spotted one in the sea yesterday evening. 

Nathan Rodd said: "I saw a jellyfish from the top of the Tower at around 5pm yesterday, so I rushed down to take a couple of shots as the jellyfish was right at the end of the Pleasure Pier, just underneath the Tower. 

"I've been seeing them all week, but this time I managed to get a couple of pictures."

Experts are warning that more residents could make similar discoveries thanks to warmer weather.

The Marine Conservation Society, to which Suzanne reported the find, is keen to hear from anyone else who finds jellyfish washed-up.

Richard Harrington, from the Marine Conservation Society, said: “This predicted hot weather to come could mean even more jellyfish are likely to wash up or be in the seas.

“Although this species is harmless their numbers are likely to grow fairly quickly as sea temperatures rise. We are very keen to hear from people that find any washed up anywhere around the country.

“This is an Atlantic species and are sometimes found washed up but still advise the public not to touch them”.

A warmer winter also means it could be a bumper year for insects in the county too.

Temperatures rarely dropped below freezing during one of the warmest winters on record. And that will have an inevitable impact on the pest population for the rest of the year, according to Rob Simpson, of pest controllers register Basis Prompt.

He said: “The numbers of many insects in the UK are naturally diminished by cold win ters, but the weather has been very different this year.

“Temperatures all over the country have been much warmer than normal and that could lead to a significant increase in the pest population.

“Flies, fleas, ants and wasps that would usually remain dormant for much longer will become active sooner, leading to more prolific breeding trends and therefore a larger population.

“We’ll only know for sure later in the year, but it could be that we’re facing a summer of bugs.”