Worthing Pipe

Opposite Brooklands Pleasures Grounds, Worthing just east of the pedestrian crossing lights was a disused Victorian sewage outflow pipe extends off the shingle beach [start c. 50°N 48.95'W ; 0° 20.225'W ends 50°N 48.743'W 0° 19.994'W] a distance of approximately 400m. With the development of the Rampion wind-farm the pipe has been removed as the cables come ashore there. In an area of sand, gravel and cobbles the pipe provided an oasis for marine life with numerous niches that they can be exploited: the tops, sides and underneath of the pipe, its supports and even the inside (there is a section that has been cut open forming a 'pool'). On an extreme low-water spring tide much of the pipe was uncovered and around 200m can be accessed from the shore.


The surround seabed consists of sand with patches of shingle and cobbles with attached seaweeds and animal turf. Close to the pipe tidal movements and long-shore drift scoured the seabed forming pools running much of the length beneath the pipe.

The species found over the ten or so years include the following prior to the pipe's removal:

Cnidaria (seafirs, sea anemones, jellyfish)
Actinothoae sphyrodeta
Actinia equina
Anemonia viridis
Metridium senile
Sagartia troglodytes
Obelia geniculata
Laomedea flexuosa
Dynamena pumila
Kirchenpaueria pinnata
Plumularia setacea
Sertularia polyzonias
Tamarisca tamarisca

Porifera (spnges)
Halichondria panicea
Hymeniacidon perlevis
Myxilla incrustans
Microciona atrasanguinea
Amphilectus fucorum
Clathria atrasanguinea

Annelida: Polychaeta (segmented worms)
Eulalia viridis
Arenicola marina
Spirobranchus lamarcki
Sabella spinulosa
Spirobis spirobis
Serpulidae sp.
Lanice conchilega
Cirratulus cirratus
Eulalia viridis
Polydora ciliata
Hydroides norvegica

Crustacea (crabs, shrimps, etc)
Gammarus locusta
Jassa flacata
Palaemon elegans
Palaemon serratus
Carcinus maenas
Cancer pagurus
Galathea squamifera
Pagurus bernhardus
Pisidia longicornis
Porchellana platycheles
Inachus dorsettensis
Maja squinado
Hyas araneus
Pilumnus hirtellus
Idotea balthica
Idotea granulosa
Austrominius modestus
Chthamalus stellatus
Balanus crenatus
Perforatus perforatus?
Semibalanus balanoides

Pyconogonida (sea spiders)
Achelia exhinata
Ammothella longipes

Bryozoa (sea mats)
Oshurkovia littoralis
Electra pilosa
Mambranipora mebranacea
Flustrellidra hispida
Cryptosula pallasiana
Crisia/Bugula?

Mollusca (snails, clams)
Patella vulgata
Littorina littorina
Littorina littoralis
Littorina rudis
Littorina obtusata
Littorina saxatilis
Melarhaphe neritoides
Gibbula cineraria
Gibbula umbilicalis
Crepidula fornicata
Rissoa pava
Hinia reticulata
Nucella lapillus
Lepidochitona cinerea
Mytilus edulis
Pholas dactylus
Ostrea edulis

Tunicates (sea squirts)
Aplidium proliferum
Botryllus schlosseri
Didemnum coriaceum
Morchellium argus
Ascidia mentula
Ascidia aspersa
Ascidiella scabra
Ciona intestinalis
Molgula manhattensis
Dendrodoa grossularia
Styela clava
Diplosoma listerianum

Echinodermata (starfish, urchins)
Amphipholis squamata
Asterias rubens
Psamechinus miliaris

Pisces (fish)
Lipopholis pholis
Solea solea
Symphodus melops
Labrus bergylta
Pomatoschistus minutus
Anguila anguila

Algae (seaweeds)
Fucus vesiculosus
Fucus serratus
Cladophora sp.
Sargassum muticum
Laminaria digitata
Laminaria sqaccharina
Lomentaria articulata
Ulva intestinalis
Ulva lactuca
Ulva prolifera
Rhodophycota indet non-cal. crusts
Porphyra purpurea
Porphyra linearis
Porphyra umbilicalis
Osmundea pinnatifida
Rhdothamniella floridula
Chondrus crispus
Polysiphonia sp.
Corallina officinalis
Caliblepharis ciliata
Ceramium echionotum