Retired couple Nick and Clare McGarvey are from Cromer but walk along East Runton beach every day.

Their stroll on January 13 was a bit different from the others as they stumbled across a very unusual-looking fish.

The fish, which looked very flat and round, was identified as a sunfish.

Sunfish are red-listed (Image: Clare McGarvey)

Sunfish are the second-largest bony fish in the world.

They are found around the globe, but in UK waters, they are more common off the south-west coast, making them a rare find in Norfolk.

Sunfish can grow to 1,000kg – the weight of a small car – and more than three metres in length, but those that reach the UK tend to be much smaller.

They are listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List because they are often a bycatch of the fishing industry.

Ms Garvey said: “I was sad to see the fish was dead, but fascinated to see it in real life. 

“Perhaps it was just too cold for it to survive, as I know that they are normally seen in south-west waters.

“It was quite a surprise!”