Mr Smith, 74, from Clovelly Road, Hylton Castle, has been an avid gardener for many years. Since retiring as a plumber, he now grows vegetables at Summerbell Allotments.

"When I dug it up I thought it was a bit unusual. And then I thought, it looks like the Angel of the North, so I decided to call it the Potato of the North." Mr Smith said.

Luckily the green-fingered pensioner's wife is away on holiday in Las Vegas, as Mr Smith explains: "If I hadn't kept the potato out of the way, the wife would have cut it up and cooked it by now."

The potato is now being shown off by its proud owner, but Mr Smith's friends aren't hugely impressed by his landmark lookalike. He said: "All my friends had a good laugh about it but I don't mind."

A proud Mr Smith has pledged to preserve his unusual find, at least until his wife returns from Las Vegas...

Have you made an unusual find in your garden, or dug up a vegetable that looks more like the the Parthenon than a parsnip? Leave a comment below, or email your photos and we'll use the best in the Sunderland Echo or online at sunderlandecho.com