Scores of hapless holidaymakers suffered cut feet from treading on razor-fish yesterday as Britons flocked to the beach on the hottest weekend of a dismal summer.
The BBC said 150 people required medical treatment after stepping on razor-fish in the Devon resort of Torbay. Fourteen ambulances were in attendance at two beaches.
"Paramedics are dealing with all the casualties. . .we won't know the extent of the casualties until afterwards," said Mr Alan Mobbs, a spokesman for Devon and Cornwall police.
Razor-fish - actually molluscs with sharp, elongated shells like an old-fashioned razor handle - are known to rise from under the sand when the water is warm, but police said yesterday's incidents were highly unusual.
Police with megaphones were urging people to clear one of the beaches, but many sun-starved vacationers were reluctant to tear themselves away, Mr Mobbs said.
Meanwhile on dry land, thousands of mink were reported to be terrorising the inhabitants of the Hampshire village of Crow Hill. The semi-aquatic mammals are close relatives of ferrets and weasels. It is believed that animal rights activists released an estimated 6,000 mink from a local fur farm.