WILDLIFE groups today warned of an ecological disaster on Dorset's doorstep after hundreds of rare corals were washed up on Chesil Beach.

Shocked volunteers found 577 pink sea fans scattered on a 590-metre stretch of the shoreline near Weymouth while undertaking a wildlife survey.

The Dorset Wildlife Trust (DWT) and Marine Conservation Society (MCS) today warned that the corals - one of the few marine species with protected status - may be wiped out.

They claimed that it was a mystery why the creatures were dying in such large numbers but feared that trawling may be partly to blame.

Now they have launched an investigation and intend to return to monitor the beaches.

DWT marine officer Julie Hatcher said: "Pink sea fans are vulnerable to bottom trawling and entanglement in fishing nets.

"No one knows how many of these beautiful corals are in Lyme Bay, but if they continue washing up in such numbers they have an uncertain future."

The new threat comes after pink sea fan populations were faced with decimation in the 1970s when divers collected them as souvenirs.

The creatures are a type of British coral related to tropical soft corals and are a species protected by law. The new threat could destroy the rare creatures on the seabed of Lyme Bay, off the 18-mile Chesil Beach.

Volunteers made the discovery while investigating the number of corals washed up on the beach.

Soldiers from the Army bridging camp at Wyke Regis transported volunteers across the Fleet to a stretch of rarely-visited beach where the survey was held.

The wildlife groups today thanked the army for their help and announced plans to return every three months to monitor the death rate.

MCS volunteer Steve Trewhella said: "We don't know why these animals are dying in such large numbers but many are found tangled in fishing nets.

"They are one of the few marine species with legal protection, which goes to show that safety for marine wildlife is wholly inadequate."

The DWT campaigns for greater protection for the marine environment and is holding a sponsored event on Boxing Day called Splash 4 Living Seas to raise awareness of its fight.