VISITORS have been coming from around the country to look at a "miracle" egg in Forest Fields.

Asim Taj, 24, and his family saw the word Allah in Arabic written on the egg's shell when they were about to cook a meal.

Since then, he has shown it to people living nearby and people have come from Dewsbury, Luton and Birmingham to his house in Noel Street.

And an independent expert at the University of Nottingham has confirmed the letters can be recognised as reading Allah.

"We were shocked and surprised. It is a miracle. Everybody is talking about it," said Mr Taj.

"I have heard stories like this from back home in Pakistan but I have not heard of it here."

The box of eggs was bought from a shop in Berridge Road.

The lettering appears darker than the rest of the shell.

He said: "The box was normal. It's not something that can be written on, it's in the shell itself.

"People smile when they see it. They can tell straight away what it says."

Mr Taj said the egg had caused excitement in the Muslim community, and his faith in Islam had been strengthened by the find.

The letters alif, lam, lam and haa can been seen on the shell. They are connected in the Naskh script – a specific calligraphic style for writing in the Arabic alphabet – to read the word.

Mr Taj believes the word appeared because his family held a proper celebration on the birthday of the prophet Muhammad at their home in February.

He said: "All the local women were sitting down and reading the Koran because that's what we feel is the right and proper way."