A couple were left shocked after ordering a new 24-piece dinner set from Tesco - only for it to arrive in 48 SEPARATE cardboard boxes.

But despite the extreme packaging which left Joanne and Billy Murphy’s home covered in a mountain of cardboard they were even more unimpressed to discover five items were still broken.

The boxes took up so much space that the family, from Ashton-under-Lyne , couldn’t see the living room floor once the items were unwrapped.

Mum-of-two Joanne, 39, said: “The ironic thing is that despite all the packaging, they still managed to break five items.

(Image: Mercury Press & Media Ltd)

“The first two bowls came in a separate delivery. I thought it was pretty bad that they came in their own boxes so I rang Tesco to complain.

“I thought that would be a one-off. I never expected the whole order to be like that.

“The driver knocked on and asked if I was expecting a big delivery. I said not really, just some kitchen stuff, but his entire van was full of it.

“He said he thought he was taking a load of returns to a warehouse. Every plate, bowl and mug came in two boxes. It was laughable.

(Image: Dan Rowlands/Mercury Press)

“I think it’s ridiculous actually and I was even more annoyed when they ignored me after I asked them to come and clear it up.

“After everything was unwrapped we couldn’t even see the floor.”

Joanne said the £60 order, which was reduced to £50 with a voucher, contained four broken bowls and a smashed mug.

She and Billy, a 38-year-old railway engineer, pay £6 per month as part of the Tesco Delivery Saver plan because they use the company regularly for grocery shopping.

(Image: Mercury Press & Media Ltd)

Joanne said: “The driver was carrying them three at a time and piling them up at the front door.

“He was as astonished as we were. Nobody could understand why there were so many boxes.”

Full-time mum Joanne admitted that while she had concerns about the environmental impact of the cardboard overload, she also saw the funny side of the incident.

Joanne said: “For the kids it was like Christmas Day. They were making dens and turned some of the boxes into an indoor skate park. They were kicking it everywhere like it was a play area.”

Tesco, which used delivery firm Yodel to distribute Joanne’s order, said the amount of packaging was a blunder.

A spokesman said: “We aim to use the minimum packaging possible while ensuring our products are properly protected from damage.

“Clearly we’ve made a mistake on this occasion. We have identified and corrected the error to stop this happening again.”