It seems an unlikely hazard, but reporter Chris Roe is warning drinkers of a deadly new enemy facing revellers – the 10p piece.
The 27-year-old needed an emergency operation after he accidentally swallowed the coin which had splashed into his pint as a barman handed over his change in a Bristol pub.
Paramedics rushed the choking reveller to Bristol Royal Infirmary at 10pm.
With the coin dangling precariously over his windpipe a top surgeon was called to solve the problem.
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'No change'
Below: 10p
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"Everyone seemed really worried," said Western Daily Press man Chris (right).
"I really thought this was it, I was finally going to be rolling up my tent."
After trying to snare the coin with a long pliers-like device forced down his throat, the surgeon finally removed it under general anaesthetic.
As a four-year-old growing up in Ross-on-Wye, Chris had to undergo a similar operation to remove a 2p piece.
An A&E nurse from the Infirmary said: "He really should just get himself a money box."
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