Giant 6ft crabs from Russia have washed up on Yorkshire beaches leaving local fishermen concerned about the future of local species.
The humungous red crabs, which can grow up to 6ft in length, were spotted off the coast by Yorkshire fishermen in large numbers - an unusual sighting in this part of the world.
Typically the sea creatures have never been seen here in big numbers - but new reports suggest that this has changed, with the crabs having been spotted together in large clusters.
FIsh supplier Shaun Henderson, who works with a large number of UK restaurants, told The Sun that one of his fishermen pulled up 40 stone of king crabs off the coast of Bridlington in East Yorkshire this week.
Despite expressing some excitement about the catch, he also said he was "wary" about the invasive nature of the species.
Native to North America, they can weigh up to 28 pounds and have been previously seen floating in the waters close to Yorkshire's beaches by local fishermen - although not in these numbers.
Originally introduced to Russia by scientists in the 1960s, the crabs thrived in the Arctic Ocean despite being native to the Atlantic and have resided there ever since.
Popular with chefs, they can prove to be a great catch - yet some local fishermen have been concerned after recent sightings of the creatures.
This is in part because they seem to have eaten much of the smaller catches that fishermen would usually bring in, like scallops and brown crabs.
One fisherman, whose family has been fishing off the coast for generations, said that it was the first time he'd ever known anyone to catch a giant red king crab.
He told The Sun: “I’m really excited, but worried about our native seafood.”
It's not the first time that the crabs have migrated, previously causing a boom in the Norwegian fishing industry and bringing huge profits to local fishermen when they arrived in their waters.
It remains to be seen the effect their arrival will have on local native species.
A £1.6m grant has been given by the government to Leeds City Council to help tackle rough sleeping.
The funding has been allocated to Leeds City Council as part of the Government’s national Rough Sleeping Programme.
The overall target is to help rough sleepovers off the streets by Christmas through providing safe accommodation.
The council have said that voluntary organisations and charities will be able to help them reach this target.
The council report said: "This funding will be used for immediate interventions to ensure all those rough sleeping have an offer of accommodation by Christmas and support longer term sustainment of accommodation.
“The initial target is to provide a suitable offer of accommodation for everyone who is rough sleeping by Christmas 2026.
“Providing a path into supported accommodation and independent living is the key objective and sustaining this independent living with, where necessary, ongoing support to prevent any return to rough sleeping and homelessness.”
The government announcement spoke of the scheme: "The programme is intended to support people experiencing rough sleeping.
"People experiencing rough sleeping may have differing entitlements to housing and support depending on their individual circumstances, including their immigration status and eligibility for public funds."
The funding is intended to help provide immediate support for people currently sleeping on the streets, while also helping them access longer-term accommodation and the support needed to maintain independent living.
By working with local charities and voluntary organisations, the council hopes to ensure people are not only offered a place to stay but are also given the help they need to avoid returning to the streets.
M&S launches massive recruitment drive in Leeds with hundreds of jobs available
Emily Sergeant
M&S has launched a massive recruitment drive across Yorkshire.
With the festive season fast approaching, and most British stores having already unveiled their Christmas ranges for 2026, one of the country’s largest brands has launched a massive UK-wide seasonal recruitment drives to gear up for what is always one of the busiest times of the year for the retail industry.
M&S has announced it will recruit for plenty of new colleagues across the UK.
As mentioned Christmas is one of the busiest moments of the year for M&S, and seasonal colleagues play a ‘vital’ part in delivering that.
Image: Supplied
New recruits will be tasked with helping M&S deliver a ‘brilliant’ service for customers.
Stores with vacancies span the whole of Leeds - including city centre, Moortown, Crown Point, White Rose Shopping Centre and Pudsey.
M&S says the roles are ‘fast-moving and hands-on’, with colleagues required to work together to make sure customers still get the very best of M&S, even at its busiest.
The roles will pay £13.41 per hour, with successful applicants receiving the training, tools and support needed to get up to speed quickly.
“We can’t wait to welcome over 300 new colleagues to our store teams here in Greater Manchester,” commented Zeba Khan, who is the Regional Manager at M&S.
“As we get ready for our busiest time of year, it’s a great opportunity to join us and help bring a magical M&S Christmas to our customers.
“We have a range of opportunities available, whether joining our city centre flagship or our fresh market-style foodhalls. We’re looking for colleagues who are passionate about delivering great customer service and being part of a team.”
Fancy it then? Applications are now open, and you can find out more and apply on the M&S Christmas careers page here.
The Hoot -
31st January 2022 
