Pensioner finds frog in Lidl bananas that travelled 3,200 miles from Ivory Coast

A pensioner found a "cute" frog on a Lidl banana she was peeling that had travelled 3,200 miles from the Ivory Coast.

Jan Giovinazzo, from Epsom, told how she was shocked and said "What the hell is that?" on finding the tiny amphibian staring back at her.

The 71-year-old had bought the £1.20 bunch as part of her normal weekly food shop.

But when she went to eat one of the bananas from Lidl she found the frog who she admitted was "cute".

She popped the frog in a small plastic box and put him on top of her radiator to keep him warm before calling the RSPCA.

The frog is believed to have travelled from the Ivory Coast (Jam Press/Jan Giovinazzo)

The frog was found on a banana bought at Lidl (Jam Press/Jan Giovinazzo)

Lidl get their bananas from the Ivory Coast which is 3,200 miles from the store in Epsom, Surrey.

Jan did a bit of research and believes it's a Reed frog from the west African country.

"I've gone off them now" she said.

"I religiously check for spiders whenever I buy bananas. I was walking over to the sink to peel it when I noticed something on it.

"I looked down and thought 'What the hell is that?' Looking closer I realised it was a tiny frog. It's not quite what I was expecting. I've got to say it was very cute.

"I looked online and I found it was a Reed frog from The Ivory Coast. So after his long journey he was sleepy. My next step was to keep him warm.

Jan contacted the RSPCS after finding the frog (Jam Press/Jan Giovinazzo)

One of the bananas from the bunch that contained the frog (Jam Press/Jan Giovinazzo)

"I kept him by the radiator all night and he survived. As I said he was cute but it is actually illegal to release a non-native species into the outside world."

Lidl bananas contain the Rainforest Alliance logo - which is actually a little frog - on it to prove they are sustainably grown.

Jan shared her find on social media and it led to plenty of comments.

Fellow shopper Gary Blythe said: "I'm surprised they didn't charge you for it."

While Pen Reed said: "Yay. Free pet frog with every bunch of bananas is much better than Waitrose," and Beth Giles added: "Congratulations on your new pet."

Customer Nathan Bracewell joked: "This story is ribberting."

Nicola Inglis said: "This is so much better than the crappy toy you used to get at the bottom of the cereal box," and Martin Juni added: "Extra protein. Bon appetit darling."

Also joking about the find was Chris Taylor who said: "Froget about it."

The frog was collected from Jan's home and is spending time in quarantine before it is rehomed.