Hungry Nigel Heffron bit off more than he could chew when he tucked into a Cornish pasty and almost swallowed a fingernail.

The Brighton father-of-three felt sick after finding the nail inside a snack he bought from Asda.

The store has now refused a demand from the 47-year-old for a tour of the factory where the pasty was made.

Mr Heffron, of Fletching Close, Whitehawk, Brighton, has turned down the store's goodwill gesture of gift vouchers, saying he would rather be reassured about the store's hygiene practices after losing confidence in their products.

He bought a 99p pack of four traditional pasties from Asda at Brighton Marina on September 8. He said: "I got home, opened one up and bit into it.

"I found a fragment in it, which was very obviously a fingernail.

"I felt like I needed a trip to the toilet to be sick. You don't expect to find body parts in your pasty.

"Obviously fingernails are attached to fingers and we all know where they have been.

"I don't know what has been on the end of this one or what germs I swallowed."

Asda has written to Mr Heffron, apologising and enclosing vouchers worth £10, which he returned.

Mr Heffron said: "Money is immaterial. I asked them to put me in touch with the manufacturers instead so I can ask for a tour of their factory. For all I know, their pasties could be made in a field."

Asda looked into Mr Heffron's request to visit the factory but a spokesman said: "Unfortunately, it's not practical because the factory is quite a distance away in Lincolnshire and there are also issues of confidentiality with our suppliers.

"We are very sorry for any upset caused to Mr Heffron. As soon as we heard from him, we took the matter up with the manufacturers and sent the object away for testing, which confirmed Mr Heffron's suspicions.

"At the manufacturer, strict hygiene rules are followed. There is also a health adviser on site who checks to ensure standards are maintained."