EVERY local authority in the UK has been put on alert after a Blackburn couple discovered a pin in a date.

Mary Newhouse made the discovery when munching on the fruit at her Mill Hill home.

The Blackburn fruiterer who sold the date has pledged to withdraw all stock from the same batch and will switch supplier after the scare.

Environmental health teams have launched an investigation into why the pin was in the date, the importers are to be contacted and a nationwide probe for any other cases.

The batch of dates, with the brand name Fresha, were packaged in Tunisia and were sold to Thompson's Fruiterers, based in Blackburn Shopping Centre, by a wholesaler in Manchester.

Mary, a grandmother from Mayflower Street, said: "I just picked one up when I was in the kitchen. I put it into my mouth and something pricked me. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it was a pin.

Unfortunately, when Mary's husband Maurice, 60, came in from work he also picked up the same date and bit into it.

"He had a good chew on it and it left him with a bleeding mouth," said Mary.

Now Maurice and Mary have health worries with the possibility of infections,.

Mary said: "We don't know whether we are going to go for tests, maybe we are worrying about nothing.

"We're hoping somebody will take it away and examine it to see if there is anything on it."

William Thompson, fruit shop owner, said: "We will return the batch to my wholesaler. We will inform them what the problem has been and we will go to another source. We have never had anything like this happen before."

Mike Hall, food safety team leader at Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: "Although it is a serious concern to see a pin found in food, it is not unusual. A domestic object such as a pin can get into the food packaging process.

"We will send the object off for an examination to an independent county analysis. They'll comment on the problem and suggest what may have caused it or the source of the pin.

"We have informed all other authorities about this and asked them to contact us if there have been any other instances.

"But we believe this to be an isolated incident."