A potentially record-breaking oyster has been discovered in a box of fish bought at a market in Plymouth, Devon.
The oyster, measuring seven inches across and weighing 3lb, is believed to be the biggest found in Britain.
It was dredged up from the English Channel and was bought at a market by Peter Randall, 58, a fishmonger, on Monday.
Mr. Randall, of Mevagissey, Cornwall, said: "It is huge. I have never seen anything like it. I bought a box of mixed fish from the market and the oyster was at the bottom. "I thought it would be a shame to kill it, it must be very old after all, so I called the harbour master and he said he has put it in an aquarium."
Douglas Herdson, a fisheries biologist, said: "Such big specimens are few and far between. A female of this size would be capable of releasing over three million eggs."
The oyster is on display to the public at Mevagissey Aquarium.
A 2.78lb oyster was found in Salcombe, Devon, in 1929, and a 1.8lb oyster was discovered on Arisaig (corr) beach in Scotland in 1997.
A 3.3lb oyster was discovered in Lough Swilly, Co Donegal in 1972.
The world's biggest oyster, weighing 8.1 lb and measured 12 inches long and 5.5 inches wide, was discovered in Chesapeake bay, Virginia, America, in 1999.
The Guinness World Records said it only recognised world records.
