GREEN-fingered presenter Alan Titchmarsh caused an upset on breakfast TV - when he used colourful language while talking about gardening.

The mild-mannered star surprised viewers of BBC Breakfast when he used a gardening term which refers to the practice of double digging.

The Ilkley-born former host of Gardeners' World and the Chelsea Flower Show innocently told the show's presenters: "There's another name for it. It sounds dreadful. It's called bastard trenching."

Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin apologised for the slip.

Viewers responded on Twitter, with some annoyed that the 66-year-old's words had been the subject of an apology.

Mick Bruce wrote: "How pathetic of BBC Breakfast to apologise after Alan Titchmarsh used a legitimate gardening term to describe double digging."

Mr Titchmarsh was appearing on BBC Breakfast to promote his latest show, Love Your Garden.

At the end of the interview Ms Minchin said: "We just have to apologise...for some of the language used in the last couple of minutes."

Mr Titchmarsh protested: "Oh no, no, no, no, it's a term in a gardening book. I shan't repeat it, but it's not offensive at all."