15 August 2012 Last updated at 10:11 ET

Thanet beach 'seaweed-o-meter' launched

The decomposing seaweed attracts flies to the beach and can cause a noxious smell

Visitors to north Kent's beaches can now find out online how much rotting seaweed has been moved from the coast.

Thanet District Council has launched a "Seaweed-o-meter" as part of its battle against the 6,000 tonnes of weed that collects in its bays each year.

The authority said this year the beaches had much lower levels of rotting seaweed and it had only had to remove 300 tonnes.

It said the coast's chalk reefs encouraged the growth of seaweed.

'Stinks beyond belief'

The washed up weed attracts flies and can cause a noxious smell when it decomposes.

In previous years residents and businesses in Thanet have complained that it "stinks beyond belief".

A spokeswoman for Thanet District Council said: "Thanet's beautiful beaches experience more seaweed during the summer than many other areas in the country due to the unique ecology of the chalk foreshore.

"This is anywhere between 6,000 - 7,000 tonnes each year.

"We know that seaweed is something that residents and visitors notice along parts of our coast, so we've gathered information here to explain why this happens and what we do to tackle it."