'I ate a discount roll from Asda and it had mouse faeces baked inside'

A west London Asda store has launched an investigation after a customer says he found mice faeces baked into his bread rolls.

Mike Draycott, an environmental manager for a construction company, bought a packet of bread rolls from the Park Royal store, and bit into one to find it riddled with what appeared to be rodent droppings.

The in-store bakery was closed for ten days following the incident, and the supermarket chain and environmental health officers have both launched investigations.

Mr Draycott said he noticed a strange taste to the roll, before spotting the small black droppings, which had been baked into the bread.

He told the Standard: "I bought the discounted rolls on the Wednesday evening. I sat down at my desk on Thursday. I thought 'this really tastes peculiar', I’d never tasted anything like it in my life.

"I saw little black flecks in it, the same shape and size as cumin seeds, and I realised they were mouse droppings.”

Mr Draycott said his job had made him acutely aware of the risks rodent droppings, particularly rat droppings, can pose to human health, and after calling the NHS 111 number he was advised to go to A&E to be checked over.

The 56-year-old said: "I felt absolute shock, panic, and disgust. I thought 'Oh my God, I've just eaten rodent droppings.

"I thought 'is it rat droppings?' I'm an environmental manager, and we're warning people all the time about the risks of leptospirosis from rat droppings, it can kill."

Mr Draycott then contacted Ealing Council, which launched an investigation, and Mr Draycott says, later confirmed to him that the black specks in the bread were indeed mouse droppings.

A council spokeswoman said environmental health officers had contacted the store, which voluntarily closed the bakery between September 11 and 21.