Thousands of jellyfish washed up at Armier over the weekend, a phenomenon that occurs every year according to marine biologist Alan Deidun.

Adult mauve stingers, he wrote on Facebook, come up from the bottom of the sea to lay their eggs before they die.

The new generation of jellyfish will be seen in around three months, around Easter time.

The phenomenon took place earlier than usual this year, he explained. It happened in early January when, normally, it takes place in late January or early February.

This means that it is likely that there will be few jellyfish this coming summer, as many of the species dies in spring, he wrote.