A LOCH NESS-style monster fossil has been discovered on the Lyme coast.

The four-metre plesiosaur was unearthed on Monmouth Beach.

The extinct marine reptile lived in Dorset’s Jurassic seas around 150 to 200 million years ago, although in popular culture it has been likened to ‘lake monsters’.

Local fossil collector Tracey Barkley discovered a number of bones from the creature in the ammonite pavement within the Axmouth to Lyme Regis Undercliffs National Nature Reserve (NNR).

Richard Edmonds, science manager with the World Heritage Site Team, said: “They are rare. There are only 10 or 12 known examples of complete or even partial skeletons of this species. I have been doing this for 30-odd years and I have only ever found the odd bone.”

The remains of the elusive reptile were extracted and Charmouth fossil expert Chris Moore is now preparing the specimen for display.

Mr Edmonds said: “We can already see it has actually been chewed up a bit. Some of the back bones are completely in place where they should be and some are missing.

“There are teeth marks and you can see how the skeleton has been torn apart by some other nasty marine reptile.”

The decision to remove the fossil plesiosaur from the ammonite pavement was not an easy one.

Mr Edmonds said: “The specimen could not have been in a more sensitive location, in the famous and iconic ammonite pavement, and there was a risk that we could damage the pavement by removing the fossil.”

Tom Sunderland of Natural England, who manage the NNR, said: “There are restrictions on collecting fossils in the NNR, particularly the removal and sale of specimens, but we need to work with collectors and the general public in order to strike the right balance and ensure scientifically important fossils are not lost to the sea or unreported.”

Mr Edmonds said the find would not have been possible without the help of local fossil hunters.

He added: “We are happy to work with local collectors, otherwise the fossils are going to get lost.”