A NEW carpet cost a Berry Brow man part of a toe.

Ben Thomas accidentally ripped off part of the second toe on his right foot after fitting the carpet in his home.

He said: “I was stopping the dog from coming into the front room, where the carpet had just been laid.

“I turned around and slammed the door behind me.

“There is about a 2mm gap beneath the door. As I walked away, I pulled what I thought was my sock out from underneath the door and accidentally pulled one of my toes off.

“I went in to the hallway and hadn’t realised what I had done.

“But just as I was walking in to the kitchen, I looked down and saw blood everywhere. Just as I came through the door, it must have registered what had happened and I went out like a light.

“My girlfriend then said I got up 20 seconds later but I banged my head and then knocked myself out once again.

“I’m used to a lot of blood because I worked in a slaughterhouse but it was the fact that it was my own that really shocked me.

“I couldn’t cope with seeing it.”

Ben, who is currently unemployed, fitted the carpet as he was trying to do up his home where he lives with his girlfriend Emma Daniels.

He had only just celebrated his 23rd birthday the night before and said the January 1 accident was “not an ideal” birthday present nor a good way to start the New Year.

Emma called the ambulance and Ben was taken to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary for treatment.

He added: “Next thing I remember I was being carted out of the house and in to an ambulance.

“When Emma first called the ambulance, she was told to put my toe in some ice.

“But she could only find a bag of frozen peas. When we got to the hospital, apparently they had to search around the bag of peas to try and find the toe.

“At the hospital, they told me I was going to have to go for an operation.

“Doctors then told me that the toe couldn’t be fixed on.

“They amputated the rest of the toe off so now it is just a stump.

“I stayed for another few days and was discharged on Thursday.

“To make matters worse, Emma was cooking me a meal to take care of me and as she attempted to separate two frozen crumpets with a knife, it went through her hand.

“So we had to go back up to hospital again less than a week later.”

Ben has been told by doctors to rest his toe for the next 14 days.