Environmental Health and Trading Standards chiefs are investigating after a Bradford family claim they found a metal bolt baked in a Tesco bun.

Michael Batty, from Low Moor, says he was eating a hot cross bun when he bit into what he thought was a nut – only to find a two-inch metal bolt, complete with washer, baked into the dough.

The bun was part of a packet of six Tesco own-brand cakes, which were on sale at the Halifax Road store when Michael’s mum, Carol Flowers, bought them on January 24 and froze them at home.

After the incident, Mrs Flowers e-mailed Tesco to complain, but claims she only received an automated response from the retail giants.

Now, she has reported the incident to Environmental Health and Trading Standards, which are investigating.

Michael said: “It could have been my little brother eating it and he could have choked. I haven’t seen anything like that before in my life.”

The family say the bun had been cut in half and toasted before the bolt was discovered last Wednesday. It was the last one in the packet.

Mrs Flowers said: “I am worried about what else had gone into the bun, like bits of machinery, and worried whether we have already eaten anything else because there were 12 buns in total.

“I just could not believe it. I was very brief in my e-mails to Tesco, but I did say about a two-inch bolt being found in one of their products.

“I told them I was taking it further and I cannot believe they have not got back to me. It needs investigating to be honest, as some other parts of that machine are floating about somewhere.”

A Trading Standards spokesman confirmed they had received the complaint, while a spokesman for Bradford Council said a complaint had been made to their Environmental Health Service. The Council’s environmental health officers are currently investigating the allegation.

A spokesman for Tesco, David Nieberg, said the hot cross buns were handmade. “If the customer returns the object to the store, we can investigate,” he added.