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Exposed to moderately exposed bedrock and boulders in the eastern basin of the Irish Sea (and as far south as Cornwall) characterised by reefs of the polychaete Sabellaria alveolata. The sand based tubes formed by S. alveolata form large reef-like hummocks, which serve to stabilise the boulders and cobbles. Other species in this biotope include the barnacles Semibalanus balanoides and Austrominius modestus and the limpet Patella vulgata, the winkle Littorina littorea, the mussel Mytilus edulis and the whelk Nucella lapillus. The anemone Actinia equina and the crab Carcinus maenas can be present in cracks and crevices on the reef. Low abundance of seaweeds tend to occur in areas of eroded reef. The seaweed diversity can be high and may include the foliose red seaweeds Palmaria palmata, Mastocarpus stellatus, Osmundea pinnatifida, Chondrus crispus and some filamentous species e.g. Polysiphonia spp. and Ceramium spp. Coralline crusts can occur in patches. Wracks such as Fucus vesiculosus, Fucus serratus and the brown seaweed Cladostephus spongiosus may occur along with the ephemeral green seaweeds Ulva intestinalis and Ulva lactuca. On exposed surf beaches in the south-west S. alveolata forms a crust on the rocks, rather than the classic honeycomb reef form, and may be accompanied by the barnacle Perforatus perforatus (typically common to abundant). On wave-exposed shores in Ireland, the wrack Himanthalia elongata can also occur.

Tide-swept sandy mixed sediments with cobbles and pebbles, in variable salinity or fully marine conditions, may be characterised by surface accumulations of the reef building polychaete Sabellaria alveolata. The presence of Sabellaria sp. has a strong influence on the associated infauna as the tubes bind the surface sediments together and provide increased stability. Such reefs may form large structures up to a metre in height although they are considerably less extensive than the intertidal reefs formed by this species (LS.LBR.Sab.Salv). Other associated species may include the polychaete Melinna cristata, often as dense aggregations, mobile surface feeding polychaetes including Typosyllis armillary and Eulalia tripunctata. Other polychaetes may include Mediomastus fragilis and Pygospio elegans whilst amphipods such as Harpinia pectinata and tubificid oligochaetes may also be found.