A POTENTIALLY deadly Portuguese man o’ war has been found washed up off the coast of Bournemouth.

Rory Bearman, 44, made the discovery on the right-hand side of Bournemouth Pier whilst walking his dog on Monday morning.

It is the first time the carpenter from Bournemouth has seen one on our shores.

Read more: Why you could find Portuguese man o’ war on Dorset's beaches after storms

Mr Bearman said: “I was picking up stones with my niece and I saw what looked like a bag.

“I thought it may be a bit of rubber or glass, but then saw it was a jellyfish.

“I picked it up like a standard jellyfish too, without touching the tentacles. Only then did I realise what it was.”

Portuguese man o’ war have tentacles with a sting venomous enough to cause severe pain to humans, leaving red welts on the skin for up to three days. In some extreme and rare cases, the fish can kill humans.

Mr Bearman described the unusual sighting as “nice but a little bit weird” and said he believes the baby creature washed up here in Bournemouth as a result of currents caused by the storms of late. He placed it into the sea.

The discovery comes after another one of the jellyfish was found at Hengistbury Head.