A woman thought she was suffering from a serious bowel disease for six years before doctors found some Heinz packaging piercing the wall of her intestine.

The 41-year-old suffered acute pain and bloating, prompting a diagnosis of Crohn’s disease.

The patient did not respond to treatment and doctors in Slough eventually decided surgery was the only option, a case study in the British Medical Journal said.

But they found an inflamed mass, revealing two pieces of plastic bearing the famous Heinz branding and appearing to come from a sauce sachet.

Once removed the patient’s symptoms were cured almost immediately.