A car mechanic has received a letter from his GP saying his vasectomy was a success even though he never had one.

Kevin Saunders, 42, from Worcester Park, was “gobsmacked” when a letter came through the post informing him his GP had received his “semen tests following his vasectomy” and was “glad to tell him both show ‘no sperms’.”

Mr Saunders, who works in an MOT garage in North Cheam, said: “I did not have a vasectomy done, so I was completely shocked when I received that letter. My partner has had the surgery herself so I didn’t bother having one.”

The correspondence from Mr Saunders' GP surgery, The GP Centre in North Cheam, informed him that because his “sperm count” was zero he could now “stop using other form of contraception.”

Mr Saunders said: “When I opened the letter, it just had the whole house hysterical. I’m just thinking now of the poor chap who’s expecting that letter and never got it.

“I am looking at the funny side of this, but you should always look at how important these things are.

"That kind of mistake could have had more serious consequences.”

Judith Hartland, manager from The GP Centre, declined to comment on Mr Saunders’ case.

She said: “There are processes for the patient to follow to raise issues with the practice. Obviously, I can’t discuss anything that we have no background on.”

A vasectomy is a form of male contraception, a simple surgical procedure which is most of the time carried out under local anaesthetic.

The effect is normally permanent, so once it has been carried out successfully and semen tests have shown there is no sperm present, long-term partners may not need to use other forms of contraception.

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