While rationalists will pooh-pooh this as sheer coincidence, a bank cashier from Lancaster, UK is having sleepless nights on finding the image of Jesus Christ in his frying pan, reports The Mail, London.

22-year-old bank cashier at Halifax Bank in Salford, Lancaster, Toby Elles  fell asleep while cooking a late-night snack. He was 'miraculously' woken after an hour as his lounge filled with smoke – and quickly had the revelation that he had left a frying pan on a hob.

While saying his prayers, the bank worker scraped the remains of crispy bacon rashers from the pan, but could not believe the vision that appeared before him - Jesus Christ staring back at him.

The image, burnt into the base of the pan, shows eyes and a nose as well as the distinctive beard and long hair of the son of God.

‘It’s some kind of miracle’, the cashier from Salford, Lancaster, said. His culinary efforts may have been burnt to a crisp but Elles said being saved from meeting the man upstairs was well worth it.

He added: ‘I fell asleep cooking some bacon and it had burnt this face on to the pan. If it wasn't for the smoke it could have been a very bad situation, perhaps someone's looking over me. My housemates and I had a few beers earlier in the evening I thought I would snack before going to bed and as it was cooking I decided to take a rest on the couch. When I woke up about an hour later the room was full of smoke. Luckily we have an electric hob so I just turned off the heat, but then I lifted up the bacon and there was JC looking back at me.’

Elles has said he is going to keep the 'gift from God' for good luck. ‘I'm not going to scrub it clean though, just in case I get struck by lightning, it's going to take pride of place on a wall instead,' he said.

‘It's become quite a talking point for people who come round to the house and I have even thought I might get a glass cabinet to put it in. I'm going to keep it for the rest of my life, perhaps it can watch over me."