Doctors in China attached a patient's severed left foot onto the calf of his right leg in a desperate bid to save it.

Ma Jun, 36, lost his foot after he slipped into a concrete mixer while working on a building site in Zhengzhou, Henan Province.

He was rushed to hospital along with his severed foot but his left leg was too badly damaged for it to be reattached.

"The injury was too severe, and the wound was highly contaminated," said Doctor Song Wenchao.

"We had to cut off more than 2cm of dead muscle and bone from the left leg so we attached the foot to his right leg instead."

The foot was transplanted onto the calf of Ma's right leg in a complicated 12 hour operation.

Dr Song added: "While it is hosted by the right leg, the left foot can grow new skin, tissue and muscles. It is normal and pink-coloured so the blood is circulating smoothly."

He is now planning a second operation to reattach the foot to the left leg, followed by further surgery to reconstruct the calf.

"If he recovers as well as we hope, he could be walking normally within four months," said Dr Song.

Oh dear...how will he be able to do the hokey pokey???

But seriously, this is incredible stuff...