Customers of a Dutch drugstore chain made a surprising discovery after coming across a drawing of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler in a coloring book.

Accompanied by a color code, the cartoon Hitler is illustrated in his infamous brown uniform, swastika emblazoned on his sleeve, making the Nazi salute.

Following complaints from customers, the company Kruidvat withdrew the coloring book from sale.

'Deep regret'

In a statement on Wednesday, the Kruidvat chain expressed its "deep regret" about the incident, adding that it was "inappropriate" to include the portrait of Hitler in coloring books.

"We are very sorry," the Dutch news agency ANP quoted a Kruidvat spokesman as saying.

Several customers published a photo of the completed page from the coloring book on the company's Facebook page.

The company is now investigating how the illustration came to be in the coloring book.

ksb/msh (AFP, dpa)