FELIXSTOWE: Ginge the giant lobster is enjoying a new life in an exclusive home by the sea after cheating the frying pan after being caught in the North Sea.

Father and son fishermen David and Jamie Lee-Amies picked up the three-kilo monster while collecting their pots earlier this month.

Jamie said: “It is a very impressive animal. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one as big as that, and if you do get large lobsters they tend to have barnacles on them or be going blind. This one was in perfect condition.”

The pair did not have the heart to include the giant in their normal catch – so it was presented to the Sea Life Centre in Great Yarmouth, where it is settling in to a new life.

Experts believe Ginge is about 40 years old.

Once there, staff were able to check on one important aspect – Jamie thought Ginge was male, but the experts disagree!

Christine Pitcher from the Sea Life Centre said: “She’s female. It isn’t easy to sex them unless they are carrying eggs.”

Jamie’s not so sure: “The tail is the giveaway. I’m 300 per cent certain it’s a male!”

Ginge is currently in quarantine, but she is expected to be added to a tank with fish providing she is given a clean bill of health next month.

Christine said: “She’s in very good condition and is eating well. She’ll be the only lobster in the tank because if there are more than one they will fight.

“They are solitary creatures except when they are mating and very territorial. She should be fine.”

Jamie has already been to Yarmouth to see how Ginge is settling into its new surroundings.

He and his father are full-time fishermen who regularly catch lobsters.

He said: “What was very unusual about this one was that we caught it in open water. You are more likely to catch big ones like this around wrecks.”

And like any common lobster, Ginge is actually blue. They only turn red when cooked, a fate Ginge has successfully avoided.

He was given his name because both Jamie and his father are known as “Ginge”.

Jamie said: “My dad used to be known as Big Ginge and I was Little Ginge. We thought we’d give him our name as a permanent link with him.”

n Have you had a giant catch? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk