Toad found in supermarket salad bag

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Jessanne De'Ath, 23, of Huntingdon, Cambs, was putting the bag of Sainsbury's salad in her fridge when she spotted the big brown toad hopping about.

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The natterjack toad in the Sainsbury's bag of salad

The mother-of-one said:

"I was so shocked I started screaming and dropped the bag on the floor.

Jessanne De'Ath screamed out loud when she found a natterjack toad in her bag of salad

"I just saw something brown with red spots moving among the lettuce leaves and it made me jump up with fright.

"I really couldn't believe that there something alive and jumping about inside my salad."

The 2ins natterjack is thought to have travelled here from Portugal.

Jessanne pierced a few holes in the bag to allow the toad to breath and then took it to environmental health officers.

"I also complained to Sainsbury's and have now received a £10 gift voucher," she said.

"But I won't be spending it on salad!

"It has put me off bagged salads and I will think twice about buying others vegetables, making sure I inspect them thoroughly first."

A spokesman for Huntingdonshire District Council environmental team said: "This is a very unusual case and it should not have happened.

"We are more used to dealing with objects rather than living creatures but we are working with the retailer to investigate the incident."

Sainsbury's said: "We set extremely high standards for our salads and hand inspect every lettuce at the point of harvest and then a proportion again at packing.

A natterjack toad

"An Environmental Health Officer has been informed and is investigating this thoroughly."