{"id":777104,"date":"2026-07-03T19:53:18","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T19:53:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/777104\/"},"modified":"2026-07-03T19:53:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T19:53:18","slug":"crabs-invade-garden-shed-50-miles-from-the-sea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/777104\/","title":{"rendered":"Crabs invade garden shed… 50 miles from the sea"},"content":{"rendered":"

A man has been left bemused by an invasion of crabs in his garden \u2013 despite living more than 50 miles (80km) from the coast.<\/p>\n

Michael Birch found his seven unexpected guests scuttling around his shed when he returned from a camping trip on Monday.<\/p>\n

The crustaceans, six of which have since died, have become the talk of the town in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, where others have also reported curious finds.<\/p>\n

In spite of his shellfish allergy, Birch has kept the sole survivor alive in a bowl of water in his fridge and vowed to ensure it returns to the seaside.<\/p>\n

“I noticed a large crab and thought it was a bit strange,” Birch, 57, told BBC Three Counties Radio presenter Andy Collins.<\/p>\n

He added: “We’re assuming someone went crabbing and thought it was a bright idea to bring them home with them.<\/p>\n

“Now, somehow, they’re in my garden.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Michael Birch said he had not been to the coast for several months and had no idea where the crustaceans came from [Kate Bradbrook\/BBC]<\/p>\n

The mystery of how the crabs arrived in Biggleswade, a market town 11 miles south-east of Bedford and nowhere near the coast, has captivated locals.<\/p>\n

Three other crabs were discovered dead in Hitchin Street.<\/p>\n

“I was in the petrol station earlier and people were talking about it,” Birch added.<\/p>\n

Ricky Watson, who found two of the sea-dwellers in a road, said: “I did think, ‘It’s a bit odd really, this far from the sea’.”<\/p>\n

Another passer-by saw a crab in the gutter and thought it had come out of a dustbin.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Ecologist Richard Lawrence said the crabs could not possibly have made their own way to the town [Kate Bradbrook\/BBC]<\/p>\n

Richard Lawrence, a crustacean recorder in Bedfordshire, believed the creatures were inedible shore crabs.<\/p>\n

“It’s never happened in our area before. We don’t get crabs in Bedfordshire,” he explained.<\/p>\n

“I expect someone went crabbing at the weekend and brought them back, not realising they would just likely die because they can’t live long out of seawater.”<\/p>\n

Lawrence warned Birch his newfound housemate might not survive its “traumatic experience”, yet added: “But let’s hope it does.”<\/p>\n

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