A Corris man has cracked his tooth on a ‘metal clip’ he found in a Lidl apple strudel.

After buying a festive treat from the Aberystwyth Lidl on 16 December, Wayne Colquhoun expected hot apple and fluffy pastry when he bit into his Confiserie Firenze Apple Strudel.

Instead, on 22 December he bit into what he describes as a 2cm metal clip the size of a one pence coin, causing his tooth to chip and cause him immense pain.

Having expressed relief that it was Wayne and not a child who found the foreign object, he immediately alerted the supermarket chain to the incident.

However, he was disappointed when Lidl customer care services did not agree to immediately remove the potentially hazardous product from the shelves.

Wayne, an antiques specialist and carpenter, said: “I contacted Lidl [the next day] thinking about all the people purchasing strudels all over the country, and they did not withdraw the product.

“A baby could have choked.

It's dangerous - I had to contact the Food Standards Agency because Lidl’s response was a joke - treating it like damaged packaging and not a risk of killing a baby.”

The Customer Care team responded by requesting that Wayne hand over the foreign item so they could “look into the matter further”.

However Wayne refused, suspecting foul play.

He instead reported the incident to the Food Standards Agency and Ceredigion County Council Public Protections Office.

Wayne, 60, said: “I am concerned that there may be other people with foreign bodies in their apple strudel.

“I consider this matter very serious after damaging my tooth.

“I am reluctant to release the foreign body as this is my proof and I don't want it getting lost in the post.”

The incident caused Wayne a chipped tooth along with “other problems”.

Having been on the waiting list for an NHS dentist for some time, Wayne will need to return to his old dentist in Liverpool for what he anticipates could be an “expensive” repair.

Lidl has since responded confirming that “no similar incidents” had been reported regarding the product, stating therefore that a “recall was not necessary”.

The supermarket added: “It is never our intention for our customers to be dissatisfied in any way.

“We pride ourselves on having thorough procedures in place to ensure that our products are of the highest possible quality, and we are therefore disappointed if these expectations were not met on this occasion.

“Following initial contact from the customer on 23 December, our Customer Care team escalated the matter to our Quality Assurance team, who launched an investigation on 24 December.

“They are in direct contact with the customer and are awaiting the foreign body to allow a comprehensive investigation with the supplier.”

Ceredigion County Council said: “The council is unable to comment on individual cases during an investigation.

“However, the council takes such reports seriously, and will investigate which includes making contact with the Primary Local Authority responsible for the premises concerned.”

The Food Standards Agency said: “Individual reports of food safety issues should be made to the local authority where the food business is based.

“The local authority food safety team will then investigate and determine the more appropriate course of action to ensure any issues are resolved promptly.

“If a wider consumer protection issue is identified as part of those investigations, the case may be escalated and referred to the Food Standards Agency.

“This [issue]is not currently being reported as an incident as it is being followed up by the local authority.”