The heartwarming story of three teenagers who rescued a crab from a fishmongers

3 September 2021, 16:39 | Updated: 3 September 2021, 17:51

This is the heartwarming story of a group of teenagers who banded together to save a crab from the pot after taking pity on it, before taking it on a once-in-lifetime train ride back to the sea.

Sky Goodey, 14, rescued the "huge" crab with her two friends on Thursday.

They discovered the crustacean crammed away in a tiny space in a fishmonger's shop in Barking and felt sorry for it.

Without any questions from the fishmonger, the group bought the crab and took it on a train to Southend Victoria via Liverpool Street, where it was released.

Throughout their train journey, the teens kept having to take the crab to the toilet every few minutes to get it wet.

At the time, Sky's mum, Sue-Ann, was annoyed about her daughter being out so late.

"I, obviously, wasn't happy but her friend's mum brought her home from Southend in the end.

"If she'd have told me she had saved a crab and taken it on this big journey on a train to Southend, I would have said it was a pack of lies," she said.

But one look on social media was all the evidence Sue-Ann needed, with pictures popping up everywhere.

One user - Man Behaving Dadly - shared the story on Facebook, saying the group were "taking it back to the sea to live its best life". He named the crab 'Hope' on their behalf.

With everyone wanting to know the outcome, Sue-Ann later commented on the post saying: "They got to Southend and let it free and it's alive and well."

However, some criticised the teens' decision online, after hearing it had been covered in water while on the train. They warned that crabs were more at risk from being put in fresh water than being kept out of it altogether.

Looking back on the evening, Sue-Ann said: "It was funny but also they meant well.

"Otherwise, it would've been bought by someone and on their plate by the evening."