A Tesco customer got the fright of her life when she glanced at her bag of bananas – and found a three-inch lizard blinking back at her.

The reptile emerged from the woman’s Costa Rican bananas at a store in Colchester, Essex.

“Our suppliers do all they can to remove this kind of risk through rigorous and thorough processes,” said a Tesco spokesman.

“We will go through those procedures once again now to re-check.

“With all the expertise, checks and will in the world, however, it is not always possible to completely legislate for the natural world.”

The reptile discovery follows another surprise find in a crate of Costa Rican bananas earlier in June, when a five-inch-long elephant beetle hitched a ride.

Fruit wholesalers were amazed the beetle had survived the two-week journey in chilly temperatures.

Both the lizard and hamster-sized bug are being cared for by specialists.

Via news.sky.com