Image copyright Facebook Image caption Cailey Fiesel said she discovered the dead mouse after smelling a "disturbingly pungent odour"

A woman in New York got more than she bargained for when she found a dead mouse sewn into the lining of a new dress.

Cailey Fiesel said she bought the $40 (£32; €37) dress from Zara but weeks later detected a "disturbingly pungent odour" while at her desk at work.

Ms Fiesel, 24, felt something scratch her leg and discovered a mouse's foot poking out of the lining, she said.

"I froze, I was paralysed with fear," she told the New York Post.

"I saw the little leg that was coming out of the seam that I had touched, which was really horrifying," she said.

Ms Fiesel has filed a lawsuit against Zara, a Spanish fashion retailer. It describes how she wore the dress to work but was overwhelmed by a foul smell.

Image copyright Facebook Image caption Ms Fiesel is suing Zara for an unspecified amount

"I felt something brushing up against my leg and thought it was a string from the seam of the dress," she told the Post.

"When I went to pull at it, it didn't feel like a string. I then felt the hem of the dress and it felt like there was some sort of sensor.

"I turned up the seam of the dress and saw it was not a sensor and that it was a mouse."

Ms Fiesel's lawyers allege that she suffered emotional distress and developed a large rash that was diagnosed as a "rodent-born disease".

She's suing for an unspecified amount.

A spokesman for Zara USA said the company "is aware of the suit and we are investigating the matter further."

"Zara USA has stringent health and safety standards, and we are committed to ensuring that all of our products meet these rigorous requirements."