A retired couple who thought they had just heard a car accident outside their home were shocked to discover that a bit of frozen POO was the culprit.

Keith and Ruth Mead were at home in Melksham, Wiltshire, when they heard a loud bang and rushed outside to see what had happened.

But they were shocked to discover a hole in their roof - and a seven-inch long chunk of ice on the lawn.

The ice was more grim than first appeared, as it was in fact a frozen lump of urine and faeces that had fallen from a passing jet about 30,000 overhead after being flushed from the plane toilet.

Mr Mead bagged up the ice ball and put it in his freezer to show insurance assessors who visited that day.

He said: “It was just as if someone had crashed into our house.

"I looked up and there was a gaping hole where a large lump of ice had impacted the roof.

Ruth added: "Thank goodness it didn’t hit anyone. It could have killed them.”

Around 25 ice falls in the UK are reported to the Civil Aviation Authority each year.

Pic: Rex