A man is seeking compensation for an operation carried out on him as a teenager that left him too embarrassed to take his top off in public.

Andrew Willis, 39, from Billingham, is hoping to take legal action against the NHS after the surgery he underwent as a 16-year-old left him with inverted nipples.

The operation, at North Tees Hospital, was carried out to remove excess fat from Mr Willis's chest after a hormonal problem led to him being the victim of school bullies.

However, far from ending his misery, the father-of-three said the treatment had turned trips to the swimming pool and beach holidays into a humiliating nightmare.

Mr Willis said: "When I go to the swimming baths with the kids I feel so embarrassed, because you can feel people looking at you the whole time.

"I got picked on at school and the surgery was supposed to put an end to that. Instead, it's left me too ashamed to take my top off."

Mr Willis said that before the operation he was told the fatty tissue would be removed through an incision under his armpits. However, afterwards he found surgeons had made the cuts through the nipple area.

He said it was only after a doctor examined him last year, when he had back problems, that it was suggested he should get legal advice.

"It never entered my mind I could get compensation," he said.

Mr Willis has instructed Middlesbrough medical negligence solicitors to obtain records of the operation and investigate the standard of care.

He said: "I just want them to put it right. There's all kinds of reconstructive surgery that goes on now, so it should be possible.

"I've been told it could take two or three years before I get a result, but since I've already waited over 20 years, I don't mind hanging on some more."

A spokesman for North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust said: "This is obviously very distressing for Mr Willis and we sympathise with his situation."