A dog obsessed with eating thong underwear had to have an emergency operation to remove one of his lacy snacks - only to eat another pair of pants days after he recovered.

Brian, a four-year-old Samoyed, has developed a taste for silk and lace thongs, especially black and bright pink ones, according to his owner Kaye Banks.

Ms Banks said Brian has also been eating her daughter Charlotte's pants at his home near Rotherham, South Yorkshire.

She said he has taken a thong from out of an overnight bag and even stolen them from the bathroom floor while she was having a shower.

Although the first pair of pants went right through Brian, another had to be removed from his stomach in a two-hour long operation at Abbey Vets in Barnsley.

Ms Banks said that, despite a four-day stay at the vets, he returned home from the operation only to eat another thong out of a laundry basket.

This time the vets were able to get him to regurgitate the offending underwear.

Ms Banks, who lives in Brampton Bierlow, near Rotherham, said: "We just couldn't believe that after an operation and four days at the vets he comes home and does it again. From now on all underwear is put straight into the washing machine. He's a lovely dog but he's into everything."

Tony Duffy, of Abbey Vets, said: "It never fails to amaze me what dogs will swallow, but swallowing three thongs in such a short space of time must beat them all."