An invasive species posing a potential threat to the local waterway and native wildlife has been discovered in Crewe's Wistaston Brook.

The creature, photographed in the brook, by local resident, Paul Holland, appears to be an American signal crayfish.

If confirmed, signal crayfish are a non-native species originally from North America.

They were introduced to Britain in the 1970s, mainly for commercial farming and food production, but subsequently escaped and established populations in the wild.

The species has since spread widely through Britain's rivers, streams and canals.

Their presence can cause ecological problems because signal crayfish compete with the UK's native white-clawed crayfish for food and shelter.

They can also carry crayfish plague, a disease which is generally harmless to signal crayfish but can be fatal to native white-clawed crayfish.

Paul told Nub News: "I was surprised by the crayfish's size. I knew they existed but it looked like a full-sized lobster."

Signal crayfish can also burrow into riverbanks, contributing to erosion, while their feeding habits can affect other aquatic wildlife.

Their arrival in Wistaston Brook does not necessarily mean that someone has recently released one.

Once established elsewhere, crayfish can spread naturally through connected watercourses, travelling both upstream and downstream.

They can also be accidentally moved between waterways by human activity.

Cheshire still has populations of the native white-clawed crayfish, making the identification and monitoring of non-native crayfish particularly important.

Anyone finding crayfish in a local watercourse is advised not to catch, move or release them elsewhere.

Trapping crayfish from the wild in England requires permission from the Environment Agency.

Paul confirmed to Nub News he has contacted the Environment Agency about the discovery.

READ MORE: Major South Cheshire road closed during day until 20 August.

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