Shark bites teacher in Devon surfing incident

Rich Thomson was surfing off Bantham beach in south Devon when a metre-long shark bit his hand

It won't go down as a great tale of derring-do on the high seas and it is very unlikely that a film or book deal will follow. But a teacher from Devon has a salty story to tell after an episode in which a "small shark" drew blood while he was surfing in south-west England.

Rich Thomson, 30, a chemistry teacher at Kingsbridge community college, was off Bantham beach in south Devon when he said he felt something grab him by the leg.