Mystery as sea turns ORANGE at Essex beach and dog walkers warned to avoid

A MYSTERIOUS orange liquid has washed up along the Essex coastline and dog owners have been warned to keep their pets away from the waterline.

The orange liquid was initially spotted along the coastline at West Mercia at around 9.10am today but has since spread to Clacton and experts are baffled by what it is.

The liquid is thought to have appeared with the incoming tide in Essex but the Environmental Agency has no idea what it is.

While there is no evidence the substance is harmful to either humans or animals the local council has issued a warning to pet owners to keep their animals away from the shoreline.

A spokesman from the Agency said: “We received an initial report from a member of the public at 9.10am reporting that an orange liquid was washing onto the beach at West Mersea, and that there was a lot of debris associated with this.

“It is in long strips along the beach and coming in on the incoming tide.

“It stretches for several hundred metres in either direction from Seaview Avenue.

“We have officers on site now assessing the incident and trying to identify the substance. We have also been liaising with Colchester Borough Council who would normally lead on any shoreline clean-up of public beaches, should it be required.

“We have since received similar reports from members of the public in Clacton and we are liaising with Tendring District Council at that location.

“Samples taken at West Mersea today will be analysed by our experts, working with CEFAS [Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science], with results due in 24 hours.

“No signs of any dead or distressed wildlife have been found and initial observations suggest this may be the result of a natural event.”

Colchester Borough Council said: “We are aware of a substance along the waterline at West Mersea Beach.

“It is currently unidentified, but the Environment Agency are aware and are carrying out tests.

“As a precaution, we recommend that dogs are kept on a lead and away from the waterline until further notice.”

The Sun Online has contacted the Environment Agency for comment.