A HUGE conger eel was washed up at Highcliffe beach when high winds and heavy rain lashed the Dorset coastline.

Chloe the Labrador was intrigued to find the five feet long beast when her owner Lisa Randle took her for a walk yesterday morning.

Lisa, a medical secretary from New Milton, told the Daily Echo: “I take Chloe to the beach every day, whatever the weather, so there was no one else down there.

“Something attracted Chloe’s attention and I could see she had found a large fish. I was amazed when I walked over to it because it was about 5ft long.

“I was trying to think of a way to illustrate its size and at first I put the dog lead next to it but it didn’t really work.

“It was only when I stood back and looked at Chloe next to the eel that I could see how big it is. “She’s not a small dog – she’s a 30kg Labrador.”

Lisa added: “It looks quite scary because I’ve read about conger eels attacking people and my friend and I were swimming at Highcliffe a couple of weeks ago. I suppose I’m lucky that Chloe didn’t decide to eat it or roll in it.”

Steve Pearce of Poole Harbour Commissioners said large eels are fairly common along the Dorset coastline but said they are not washed up very often.

“It is probably an eel which has been caught and thrown back, but has not survived” said Mr Pearce.

“They are common in this area because they like rocky surfaces and wrecks.”