DNA testing kits used on The Jeremy Kyle Show are being snapped up by Dundee residents double-checking their family ties.

Premier Hayat’s Supersave, in the Happyhillock Shopping Centre, sold half-a-dozen tests in two days.

Manager Afzal Hayat, 38, explained the tests were only for peace of mind, but was clear that if people wanted legally valid ones, too, he would be happy to stock them.

He said: “These are just for the family’s sake, but they come from the same company.

“If someone asked for the other one, we could get it in no problem. Either way, if it’s not your kid, that’s a lot of money you could save.”

The family-run business is selling the DNA Test Collection Kits for 19.95, with results costing another 99 as the hair or skin samples need to be sent to a central UK laboratory to be processed by parent company AlphaBiolabs.

Reality TV show Jeremy Kyle uses the same tests in paternity disputes and the more expensive, legally valid version is accepted by the UK Border Agency and the Home Office.

Afzal, who said he is not sure how many of the tests have been bought for novelty value, said: “I like Jeremy Kyle, but people are going on national TV to sort their problems out when they could just do these tests in their own home.

“It’s something you can buy over the counter now.”

His customers were equally surprised that the technology was so readily available, but the majority felt it would be good for families to know for sure whether they were genetically related.

David Curtis, 61, a retired mill worker, from Mid Craigie, said: “It’s a good idea for some folk, for the bairn’s sake, and any father should be paying for his own kids.”

Alison Millar, 35, an offshore medic, from Monifieth, said: “I’m sure there will be plenty of demand for them in Dundee.

“I suppose it was just a matter of time for these things to become available.

“There will be a lot less uncertainty anyway.”

Other patrons weren’t so sure about the cost of the test.

John McInnes, 66, a retired builder, from the Happyhillock area, said: “It’s a good thing, but the price is a little much.

“I’ve been looking into genetics, though, and it’s nice to know where you came from.”