AN investigation into safety procedures at a Hereford DIY store is underway after a man shot the flat end of a nail into his thumb with a compressed air gun.

Martin Burgess, of Westfield Street, Hereford, was shopping at B&Q in Holmer Road when he noticed a stack of nail guns on display.

He removed one from the top box and, thinking it was for demonstration purposes, fired it straight into his thumb joint.

"I didn't think for a moment the thing would have air in it," said Mr Burgess. "At first I didn't take it in and tried to find pliers to remove the nail, but it was too embedded."

He then took himself to Hereford General Hospital where it was removed under anaesthetic.

Mr Burgess, a software engineer on former rally champion Martin McRae's car, still remains in some pain.

Herefordshire Council's environmental health and trading standards department confirmed it was investigating the incident, which happened on Saturday, December 15.

"We're doing everything we can to find out exactly what happened," said a B&Q spokesman. "At the moment we can't understand how the nail gun came to be powered up, but we're sorry that the accident took place."