A WOMAN was horrified to find a lizard in a lettuce she bought at Tesco.

Helen Smith bought the lettuce from Tesco in St Peter’s in Worcester on Tuesday but got a nasty shock when she took it home.

Miss Smith, aged 23, of Shelsley Beauchamp, near Martley, found a lizard, which was about two inches long in her lettuce and feared it could be poisonous.

She contacted your Worc-ester News because she was concerned about what could happen if a frail or elderly person has the same experience. She said: “On getting the items home and putting them in their appropriate places, I put the lettuce in the salad drawer in my fridge and was about to close the door when the lettuce actually moved.

“Much to my surprise and horror I could see a live reptile or lizard of some description crawling around on the lettuce below the cellophane. In the shock I screamed and shouted for my partner to take the lettuce outside and away from me.”

She took a photograph of the lizard but could not bring herself to put it into a bottle and it was released under a hedge in the garden. Miss Smith contacted Tesco Customer Service and returned to the store with her photographic evidence on Wednesday morning. She told them what had happened and was told her concerns would be passed on to head office.

She said: “So far I have only been supplied with a replacement lettuce and not any other form of compensation. I think this is an appalling slip in product standards and not having a sufficient quality control mechanism that could pick up this sort of problem. “Not being an expert in reptiles, I was unable to identify the type, but the possibilities are endless! Where did it come from? How did it get there? Was it poisonous, venomous? Which then draws me on to think of possible allergies for other store users, along with the fright.”

A Tesco spokesman said: “We have strict procedures in place to ensure the quality and safety of our food. We would like to stress that this type of incident is incredibly rare and are sorry for any distress caused.

“With all the expertise, checks and will in the world, it is not always possible to completely legislate for the natural world. We have provided the customer with a full refund and if the customer would like to return the product to the store we can conduct a full investigation.”