A CHARLTON mum's skin was left crawling after discovering a caterpillar as "big as her finger" in a can of sweetcorn.

Suna Canatar says she found the giant grub, which she thought was a maggot, in a tin of Princes sweetcorn bought from 99p Stores in Lewisham town centre.

The 50-year-old, of Victoria Way, says her hair "stood on end" after the find and has been put off the canned vegetable for life.

She said: "It was as big as my finger. I was so shocked I couldn't do anything.

"It has put me off sweetcorn for life."

A spokesman for food brand Princes has apologised and claims the bug is a caterpillar commonly found in sweetcorn fields.

Ms Canatar opened the can in low lighting without her glasses and almost missed the minibeast which she says she could have fed to her 14-year-old son.

She said: "The light was quite dim and I didn't really think anything of it. I thought it might be a stick or something.

"I poked it with my finger. All my hair stood on end. I put my glasses on and put the light on and I thought 'no this is some kind of worm or something'."

She added: "It was just as well it was right on the top or else I might have given it to my son to eat."

A spokesman for Princes said: "All of our products are subject to strict quality controls.

"The processing of freshly picked corn-husks involves careful washing and inspection prior to canning.

"The item returned to us on 22nd March has been identified as a caterpillar of a moth commonly found in sweetcorn fields which would normally be removed during picking and production.

"We have written and apologised to the customer that purchased the product and will be informing our supplier to help them monitor and maintain ongoing product quality."

A spokesman for 99 Stores added that the company are aware of the matter and are working with Princes to investigate it.