Want the top news headlines sent to your inbox daily? Sign up to our FREE newsletter below Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Foster’s lager has been refreshing Aussies since 1888 but they can’t satisfy the thirst of Jimmy Cragen.

Jimmy opened a case of the amber nectar only to find some of the cans were completely empty and the rest were almost empty with only a few drops sloshing about inside.

There was only one full can but that has lost its fizz and had no pressure.

The ring-pulls were in place and there was no hole in the cans that could explain why he was left gasping for another drink.

Jimmy, 53, said 10 cans were affected by the disappearing booze.

All had black marks on the edges of the bottom which Jimmy’s missus Ann believes could be mould.

Jimmy said: “It’s a mystery what happened to the lager but it’s not there.

“I couldn’t believe it when I went to get a can and realised that every one of them had nothing or almost nothing in.”

Jimmy, of the Fossway, Byker, Newcastle, is a retired home carer who admits he likes a tipple or two-a-night.

He said: “I am in the habit of stocking up on cheap 50p a can lager and drinking it at home after they banned smoking in pubs.

“I like to have a big supply and will often have loads of slabs piled up on top of the dishwasher in the garage.

“These ones were bought at Asda last Christmas and have been sitting around waiting their turn.

“I never noticed anything wrong when I carried them home. When I went to open the first few cans I thought nothing of it, crushed them and threw them away but I realised it was a lot of them, not just one or two, and knew something was wrong.

“One of them is full but is not pressured and the can just bends in with the slightest pressure. The cardboard boxes they came in were damp and, although I don’t know how, I think the lager had escaped from the can from a pinprick.”

Ann, 62, said the dishwasher the cans were kept on is not in use and could not be responsible for any spillage of water.

She said: “We took them back to Asda who said it was not their responsibility and told us to get in touch with Fosters.

“We did but Fosters said there was not a manufacturing fault and there was nothing they could do.”

A spokeswoman for Heineken, which owns the European rights to the brand, said they needed to see some of the cans before they decided what to do.

She said: “We take quality control very seriously and want people to enjoy Foster’s in first class condition. It is very rare that we have problems with our packaging and when Mr Cragen contacted us, we advised him to send us two cans as samples so we could investigate his complaint further and ascertain the cause of the issue.

“Mr Cragen has yet to send the cans and it is difficult for us to help him further until we examine the products concerned, and understand how they have been stored.

“As soon as he does this, we will be able to carry out a proper investigation and hopefully find a resolution.”