IS THIS the biggest squid ever to grace a Macclesfield fishmonger’s?

Neil Mayo, manager of the Cheshire Fish on Roe Street, reckons it is – and whoever takes the 4ft monster off his hands really will be squids-in.

The eight-tentacled creature, named "Squidworth" by shop staff, is usually found lurking at the bottom of the ocean.

With its beady eyes, massive body and powerful tentacles, ideal for grappling with some of the sea’s fiercest creatures, this beast is so big it would not look out of place in Kirk Douglas’s famous 1954 film, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea.

But it definitely stands out at the Cheshire Fish.

Father-of-two Neil, – who has been in the business for 22 years – said: "I have never seen one like that before, especially that big – it’s huge!"

Workers discovered the aquatic behemoth at the shop – on the aptly named Roe Street – when they opened their usual delivery of squid from the North Atlantic.

But they soon realised something fishy was going on. The normal size of the ink-shooting sea dwellers is from five to eight inches, so, when this relative giant appeared, it came as a bit of a shock.

Neil added: "We order ten-kilo boxes and the squid are usually about 6in long. We expect them to be a lot smaller, so it was a surprise when we found this monster staring up at us."

The slippery customer will earn the shop a cool 33 squid after they have diced it up into smaller parts.

"We will cut it up into smaller pieces for paella mix, people usually use it for paella or calamari – that’s how I like my squid."

The shop have dubbed the slimy sea creature "Squidworth" after the character in the popular TV series, SpongeBob SquarePants.

But don’t let the nickname fool you – Squidworth is no pet, and he’s destined to be sliced and diced.

Neil, whose favourite fish is the John Dory, added: "We’ll have it in pieces in no time. We won’t be that sorry to see the back of it – it looks like one of the creatures out of Pirates of the Caribbean."