Lady finds a mouse in her soup

An 89-year-old woman found a mouse in her soup - but only after putting it into her mouth.

Pearl Parkey had been tucking into a tin of Campbells when she tasted something odd.

"I thought it was just a ball of hair," she said.

"My daughter said 'Mama, that's a mouse'."

An investigation has now been launched into whether the can of soup had been tampered with.

The revolting incident took place in the US town of Erwin, Tennessee, about 250 miles east of Nashville.

Campbell's Soup Company spokesman John Faulkner said the New Jersey-based company will examine the can and its contents, which the family has stored in a freezer.

He said it was unlikely a mouse could have made it into the can during manufacturing.

Every step of production is closely monitored and there is an inspector based at the plant where the soup was made, he added.