Two-foot squid spotted on Hartlepool’s Seaton Carew beach in ‘rare’ find

The foot-squid was found at the bottom of the steps near the Beacon at Seaton Carew earlier this week.

Chris Wake shared a snap of the squid on social media, describing it as “not your usual find at Seaton”.

Mr Wake, 48, who spotted the squid while walking his dog, said he first thought it was not real.

He told the Mail: “When I first saw it I didn't think it was real till I took a closer look. It's rare you find something so strange like that washed up on the beach.”

The common, or European, squid is found all over UK coasts, down to around 500m deep. It is usually between 15cm and 40cm long.