A bemused shopper who found cigarettes, a lighter, medical records, and some bank statements in a newly bought jacket was told by the store that he had accidentally bought another customer’s coat.

Roger Barrett noticed the collection of items and documents in the pocket of the jacket when he returned home from a trip to Sports Direct in Gillingham High Street.

During a phone call with management, he was told that the store did not actually stock this particular jacket and that another customer must have taken it off and unknowingly left it behind, only for Mr Barrett to pick it up and buy it.

Disputing that reasoning, Mr Barrett asked for a better explanation and was then told that someone may have picked up the coat with the intention of stealing it only to then change their mind and put it back on its hanger.

“They’ve come up with these excuses as if they really feel like anyone would fall for it and an hour of my time on the phone to them was totally wasted,” said the 69-year-old, who runs Barrett’s Allsorts carpet shop in Canterbury Street.

“It’s obviously been returned and they’ve just put it back on the rack. If I wanted the anorak secondhand I would have gone to a charity shop.

“For a retail outlet to be behaving like that is just outrageous. There were barcodes and labels on it when I bought it — how could they think I would believe it was a customer’s jacket?

“Just hold your hands up and say you’ve made a mistake. To come up with these excuses is just ridiculous.”

A spokesman for Sports Direct said: “We do not comment on individual cases. However, we pride ourselves on good customer service and if you can supply us with contact details for the customer in question, we will attempt to resolve the situation to his satisfaction.”