That’s newt what I expected! Celery surprise for Debra

ASHOCKED Tesco shopper says she watched in “amazement” as a live newt shuffled out of her fresh bag of celery.

The woman, who asked to be named only as Debra, bought the product from the Midsomer Norton superstore on Monday.

It was her husband’s birthday and she had nipped in on the way home from work to grab a few items for a small barbecue celebration that evening.

Debra, a lecturer who lives near Chew Valley Lake, said she had just opened the celery in the kitchen when the creature, which she thought was a lizard, peered out of the packaging.

She said: “It was a real surprise. It was among the sticks and just started crawling out.

“I started preparing and found this chap – thank goodness I didn’t chop the poor thing.

“I just looked at it in amazement and called my husband in.

“I said ‘I can’t believe this’ – I was flapping around.”

It’s been a wild adventure for the newt, which must have made it from the farm in Norfolk, into a bag, across the country and onto the shelves, then to Debra’s kitchen, more than 230 miles away from its home.

She said she was “most certain” that the aquatic creature, which is about two inches in length, could not have come from anywhere else but the celery.

Debra’s husband put the newt in a glass with some of the celery, and created a cling film lid with air holes, as a temporary measure while they decided what to do.

She explained: “My instinct was to just release it, but my husband said we’d better not as it might not be native to the UK.

“We do understand these things happen and the poor lizard slipped through quality checks.”

Their main concern was making sure the species was native to the UK, and that it was safe to release it back into the wild.

The packaging of the Nightingale Farms celery, stamped with the Red Tractor quality assurance mark, stated that it was grown in Norfolk.

However, Debra wanted to be sure before freeing it into the wrong habitat.

They called Tesco’s customer services team and managed to get through, but Debra said the only advice they could offer was to take the celery back to the store.

She added: “I said ‘you’re joking?’ “It’s an hour round trip, I’ve had two glasses of Prosecco and I’ve got a live lizard!

“She said I could phone the RSPCA.” An expert from Avon Reptile and Amphibian Group said it is most likely a palmate or smooth newt, which are both native to countries including the UK.

Debra has since been able to release it back into its natural habitat.

A Tesco spokesperson said: “Our Nightingale Farms celery is grown in fields and so is exposed to nature and wildlife, but it is very rare that unexpected travellers like this little critter make it to our customers.

“As the celery was grown in Norfolk, he or she can be safely released into a natural environment to enjoy the rest of the warm weather.”