Reports of a 'human foot' in a field turns out to be a pota-toe

Virgin Radio

8 Jan 2021, 16:01

There have been many hoax calls or unusual sightings over the years, but this one is understandable.

A dog-walking woman spotted what she thought was a human foot, buried in the mud in a field in Gateshead. 

She sent a photo of what appeared to be a toe sticking out of the mud to police, and worriedly called the report in.

Police carried out a search in the dark with specialist dogs, but after two hours officers discovered it was a potato with a mushroom growing next to it. Oops.

When you look at the picture though you can see why she thought what she did. The police said the call was made in "good faith" and praised her for her "vigilance".

Northumbria Police said the photograph "did show what appeared to be a human foot".

Insp Phil Hamlani said: "The person who called this in was very concerned and in the picture she sent to us the object did look like it could be human remains."

"It was already dark by the time we got a call and so we had to deploy search teams to track down the scene to rule out any foul play."

He added: "The search team did have a chuckle when they realised it was a potato, but the call was made in good faith and we can only praise the vigilance of the woman who made the call."

He urges anyone to still call the police if they think they find anything, saying: "If it does turn out to be a vegetable, our police dogs will thank you for the treat."