Cleaners were faced with the unusual job of recapturing a cast of crabs which had escaped from a passenger's plastic bag at a train station in Gateshead.
The crustaceans were seen scuttling along the platform at Gateshead Metro station yesterday.
Video footage of the bizarre event was shared online by a Twitter user.
Sadly many of the crabs subsequently died but the surviving ones were transported to Blue Reef Aquarium in Tynemouth, where they are being looked after, the Newcastle Evening Chronicle reports.
Onlookers appeared confused by the sudden onslaught of crustaceans at the station.
One Twitter user said: "Genuinely baffled as to why and how there was a Metro full of actual real life crabs in Gateshead today????"
Another said: "Really wanna know how all those crabs got on Gateshead metro platform".