A dog-walker has described the moment he discovered a "sea monster" almost as big as his dog washed up on the beach.

James Crow was walking along Whitstable sea front, near the Old Neptune pub, with his King Charles Cavalier, Albert, when they came across the animal.

"I've never seen anything like it in 20 years," said James.

"My dog just vanished behind a groyne for a couple minutes so I went to check where he'd gone.

"He's stood there sniffing around this massive sea monster, clearly very pleased with his find.

"It was already dead but it was pretty large, I'd say it was at least 5ft long.

"It's certainly not something you see every day, and I had to do a bit of Googling to find out what it actually was."

Upon closer inspection, James discovered it was a conger eel which had washed up on the shores.

Growing up to 6ft long, the conger eel is a popular target for catch-and-release fisherfolk due to its sturdiness.

The European conger eel is the largest of its kind in the world, and are most commonly found on the UK's western shores.

Following James's discovery on Tuesday evening, a spokesman for Kent Wildlife Trust said it is "not that unusual" to find a conger eel off the Kent coast.

The charity also offered advice on what to do for anyone who finds a dead sea creature on the beach.

The spokesman added: "Call your local Marine Wildlife Rescue operator immediately and take their advice.

"Don’t touch the animal or try to move it.

"Try to keep onlookers and dog walkers away from the animal until the authorities arrive as there is a risk the animal’s decomposing body could become a health hazard."