A German professor who went on a dream holiday to Costa Rica woke up in an airport departure lounge to find his leg had been amputated.

The professor said he had gone to see a doctor at a hospital in San Jose because his left foot was swollen.

He said: "An aspirin usually did the trick. I have had the problem before - it was nothing serious - just something caused by my diabetes.

"When I got to the hospital they put me on a bed and I heard the word amputate. I tried to protest, but before I knew it they had given me drugs to black me out, and when I woke up I was at the departure lounge.

"My suitcases were by my side - and then I realised my leg was missing. I couldn't move, and when I checked my wallet I found that £200 had been taken out and replaced with a receipt for the amputation.

"It was like a bad dream and I could not believe what had happened."

Professor Ronald Jurisch, 50, from Dessau in Sachsen-Anhalt, said the holiday was booked for him by friends for his birthday as the trip of a lifetime.

After the operation, Prof Jurisch collapsed and was taken to a private clinic where he was diagnosed with blood poisoning.

He said it was four weeks until a special medically equipped plane took him back to Germany where he underwent 23 more operations to try and repair the damage from the amputation.

He is now seeking to take legal action against the hospital in San Jose.