Kelp forests: Sussex underwater sites 'flourish' during lockdown

An experienced Sussex diver and underwater photographer has said calmer seas due to lockdown have led to an increase in sea forests.

Steve Allnutt, from Lancing, West Sussex, has been monitoring kelp forests off the south coast of England for 25 years.

Kelp forests off Sussex are among the most biodiverse environments on the planet, but they have been damaged by changing fishing habits and the dumping of sediment on the seafloor.

But Mr Allnutt, who logs marine forests for his Sussex Underwater project, said this year under lockdown had been a "boom time for kelp''.

He said: "The sea's got time to rest and, like a meadow, the sea's got time to grow again and establish itself, and turn into a habitat that hasn't been seen in Sussex for years."