James Byrne and his New Thumb

                                                               

A father-of-one has shown off his unusual new thumb after he lost his original in a carpentry accident. James Byrne, 29, had his big toe grafted on to his hand after he severed his left thumb while sawing through a piece of wood last December. Surgeons had first tried to sew his original thumb back on but the blood would not start flowing again despite months of treatment, including using leeches.

 A big toe-thumbs up: James Byrne shows off his new left-hand digit after the bandages came off

That's when the surgeons made their unusual suggestion of using his dominant toe. They said losing a toe would only affect his balance in the short term - therefore outweighing the loss to his foot.

His consultant Umraz Khan at Frenchay Hospital in Bristol carried out the operation in September.

Now, two months after the operation, the paver from Bristol has a working 'thumb' - which he has nicknamed 'Toby'.