A PRESTON man hopes to preserve a prize leek for ever after spotting the Arabic spelling of Allah inscribed in it.

Asif Hamid, 30, of Lancaster Road North, got more than he bargained for after buying the vegetable from his local supermarket.

Mr Hamid could not believe his eyes after cutting through the 'miracle' leek which, he claims, has the Muslim supreme's name inscribed on the end.

He rushed to show his friends the strange phenomenon before putting the section of leek in a container on his mantelpiece.

Now Mr Hamid is convinced it was fate that led him to buy that particular leek while shopping at Morrisons supermarket, Preston Docklands.

"I don't normally buy leeks," he said. "But when I had a closer look at the end it was crystal clear. It was the word Allah in its Arabic form. I showed it to all my friends and they all agreed. I could have picked any leek yet for some reason I picked up this one."

"In fact, I picked up quite a few leeks that day but ended up buying this one."

"I think it is all to do with fate and destiny. The odds of finding something like this are very rare."

Mr Hamid is battling against time to save the wilting leek using home-made preservation methods.