A man from Darwin in northern Australia has been making headlines after having a two centimetre cockroach removed from his ear.

Hendrik Helmer described how he was asleep and woke up to "excruciating pain, almost as if somebody was drilling or tapping a nail into the side of my head".

After trying to treat the problem himself, Mr Helmer eventually went to the hospital, where they removed the bug safely.

He is not expected to suffer any long-term effects from his ordeal, although by Friday he was still having trouble with his balance and experiencing twinges of pain when he moved his jaw.

Mr Helmer told Radio 5 Live's Eleanor Oldroyd and Phil Gayle about his ordeal.