A man thought he had found lump of human flesh in a new can of paint.

Bob Rayment, 66, from Sutton opened the can of light grey kitchen paint he had bought from B&Q in Sutton the day before - only to find the find the mysterious lump.

He demanded the DIY store send it off for immediate examination.

Tests have now found the ugly discovery to be plant matter.

Mr Rayment said: "We were working indoors in a clean enclosed environment upon the second filling of the spray gun I noticed a lump in the paint.

"We stopped working and investigated the lump by taking the paint box with the body still in it to the sink.

"I washed the box and found to my horror what appeared to be a piece of human flesh complete with fine hair.

"It looks like the back of someone’s forearm.

"It’s an inch by half an inch. I was horrified by it, absolutely horrified.

"I could have ingested it too because I was spraying.

"I felt quite sick when I found it."

Mr Rayment has vestibular disorder, an inner-ear disorder, which affects balance and can have a range of symptoms.

Therefore, in order to help his son paint the kitchen he was using the spray gun as it allowed him to sit down and do the work.

After the Sutton Guardian contacted B&Q they emailed Mr Rayment to apologise for the foreign particle and refunded the replacement goods he bought worth £97.

A B&Q spokesperson said: "Our initial investigation into Mr Rayment's complaint about the foreign particle in paint indicates that it is plant material, possibly a sycamore seed.

"We are continuing our investigation to better understand how and where the contamination may have occurred."