By Fiona Macrae
Last updated at 5:41 PM on 08th December 2009

The starfish cemetery stretches along the beach for as far as the eye can see.

More than 10,000 suffered a slow and agonising death after a storm washed them onto Norfolk's Holkham beach.

It is thought that the creatures - common starfish measuring between four and 12 inches across - had gathered near the shore to feast on their favourite food of mussels.

High winds and choppy waters then plucked them off their prey, carrying them ashore and depositing them high and dry on the sand.
Mass grave: More than 10,000 starfish died after a storm washed them onto Norfolk's Holkham beach

Mass grave: More than 10,000 starfish died after a storm washed them onto Norfolk's Holkham beach

Nigel Croasdale of the Hunstanton Sea Life Sanctuary in Norfolk, said: 'They would have been stranded.

'Starfish are very slow-moving creatures. They wouldn't have had the opportunity to scamper back down into the water as the tide goes out.'

Margaret Perrott, 63, estimated that the carpet of orange and pink stretched for more than a quarter of mile.

The grandmother-of-four, who came across the mass stranding while walking along the shore, said: 'The sight of all these little creatures dying on the beach was horrendous. We only went on a short walk and found a starfish graveyard.

'It's a long stretch of beach and there were just thousands of them littering the shore line for as far you could see.'

It is possible that the starfish, which were washed up last week, were victims of dredgers scraping the seabeds for mussels.
Dead starfish on Holkham beach

Dislodged: It is thought that the starfish had gathered near the shore to feast on their favourite food of mussels

The process could have dislodged them and the currents carried them up to the shore before they had a chance to grip onto another solid object.

Or the dredging of the seabed may have thrown up mud and sand that suffocated the starfish, killing thousands in one go.

But Mr Croasdale believes mother nature is the most likely suspect.

He said: 'Strandings tend to occur once a year or once every two years and normally follow poor weather.

'They are also most common between November and March - the time of the year when we experience bigger tides and more extremes of tides.

'We had some strong winds and I looked back at the tide times and the height of the high tide was increased in the early part of the week.

'A stranding is the most likely explanation.'

But not all the starfish died. Miss Perrott was able to save one and return it to the sea.

She said: 'Further down the beach we found a starfish which was still alive and put him back in the water.

'Now he's not going to have any friends - he's going to be floating around out there by himself.'