A FAMOUS coastal pub had an unexpected monster guest to mark its opening this week.

Following a £600,000 face-lift, Tavistock at the Grotto, formerly the Marsden Grotto, opened to the public, offering a seafood restaurant, two bars and a bistro.

Top of the menu at the venue, which is built into the cliff-face at Marsden, near South Shields, South Tyneside, was Claws - a three-and-a-half kilo, two-and-a-half feet lobster, which was caught off the Sunderland coast on Thursday.

Executive chef Gareth Marks said: "I have never seen a lobster this big. It's about six times the size of a normal lobster."

Anyone who wants to get their teeth into the delicacy will find themselves set back £200 - but the good news is that it will feed four.