'No better ending' as one in a million rare blue lobster found in Doncaster returned to sea

The colourful crustacean was revealed by Doncaster Market stall holder Martyn Pippard last week after he returned from Grimsby from a haul of fresh fish.

The distinctive creature, which he dubbed Letitia, was returned to the North Sea after attempts to find a local aquarium failed.

He said: “The news we have all been waiting for at 5am.

"The beautiful Letitia is on her way back out to the depths she was caught from – there can be no better ending.”

Martyn, owner of The Gentleman Fishmonger in Doncaster’s Fish Market, shared a video of his discovery on Facebook and said: “What about this – this is one in a million.”

Carefully unwrapping the lobster from a box of others inside a wrapping of newspapers and with its claws already taped, he said: “She’s beautiful – a pure blue lobster. One in a million.”

Typically, lobsters are dark colored, either bluish-green or greenish-brown, to blend in with the ocean floor – and only turn bright red or pink when cooked.

Unusually coloured lobsters account for only a few of the millions caught every year, and due to their rarity, they usually are not eaten, instead being released back into the wild or donated to aquariums.

Mr Pippard appealed to The Deep in Hull as well as Natureland in Skegness to take Letitia, but there were fears that she may be eaten by other animals.