A TAKEAWAY treat turned sour for Bournemouth schoolgirl Stephanie Barber when she bit through an earwig in a McDonald's chicken burger.

Stephanie, 13, was tucking into a meal from McDonald's at Poole's Wessex Gate Retail Park with her mum Kim, 34, and Kim's partner Mike Head when she unwittingly chewed through the dead creepy-crawly.

Mike, a carpenter from Greaves Close, Ensbury Park, said: "We were eating our takeaway in the restaurant car-park when Stephanie bit into something crunchy in her burger.

"She spat it out and screamed when she saw she had chewed through an earwig. The insect looked like it had been fried and she felt physically sick."

Mike, 37, went back to the restaurant to complain. "I asked to see the duty manager who said there was nothing he could do. He gave me a mobile phone number which I rang three times that night and three times the next day. I didn't get any response until the following morning.

"A man rang and told me to take photographs of the insect and send them to McDonald's head office in London."

More than three weeks later Mike received a response to his complaint.

"They sent me a £20 voucher and said they hoped it would be the end of the matter. I couldn't believe their attitude - the meal itself had cost me more than £20.

"Going to McDonald's every weekend used to be a family treat. Now Stephanie won't eat takeaway burgers any more and the whole family is refusing to go to McDonald's.

"I'm not at all happy with their response to our complaint and I am now considering legal action."

McDonald's spokesperson Victoria Hague said: "We were very concerned to learn about this incident as we insist upon the highest standards of food safety and quality both in our restaurants and at our suppliers.

"We were very surprised to hear of the nature of the incident and investigated thoroughly but cannot explain how this could have occurred.

"We were also very concerned that Stephanie had this experience and offered vouchers as a gesture of good will.

"If this is not satisfactory to Mr Head we are very happy to discuss the matter further with him."