A rare lobster caught in Manx waters has escaped the pot, and will instead make a mate for a lonely lobster in Blackpool.

He has been called Blue, because of his colour.

Port St Mary woman Bev Cregeen was one of his 'captors', and says Blue was so unusual they decided he couldn't be sent to market.

She was then contacted by the Sea Life Centre in Blackpool which was looking for a companion for its crustacean Claudette, who hasn't had male company for years.

John Filmer from the Sea Life Centre is hoping for a happy ending. He told Manx Radio: "It was a bit unusual because the people who found it hadn't actually seen a blue lobster before, so it was brought to my attention by our head of PR, based in our head office.

"We had just sent out a press release about a lobster we have on site here in Blackpool who is currently carrying some eggs. They are unfertilised, but we would like to find a partner for her. So because there is our press release about the female lobster who is a bit lonely, looking for a male, and this unusual male, blue lobster that had been found, we thought we'd try and pair the two together and see how that worked."

Blue is due to arrive at the Sea Life Centre at lunchtime today.

(Picture: Stock picture of a rare blue lobster, from America).