A British Airways flight bound for Dubai was forced to turn back to Heathrow on Saturday due to a particularly savage – anonymous – bowel movement.

The 747-400 model – which costs around £360 million – was around half an hour into its journey when a passenger or crew member was found to have contributed substantially to the aircraft's roughly 400,000kg operating weight.

The captain was quick to alert passengers – presumably with one exception – of the emerging problem.

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“You may have noticed there's a quite pungent smell coming from one of the toilets,” he announced, attributing the unpleasant odor to “liquid fecal excrement.”

With the problem proving difficult to flush, the decision was made to turn back and wipe the flight schedule.

Abhishek Sachdev, a Tory councilor for Potters Bar Parkfield in Hertfordshire, was onboard with his pregnant wife.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said he was unhappy to have been turned back “because of a smelly poo in the toilet.”

“It’s obviously disappointing to lose a whole day of your trip. You might expect it on some random airline, but you wouldn’t expect it from British Airways,” he added.

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On arrival back in the UK, passengers were given accommodation and food vouchers.

A spokesman for British Airway told the Mail: “We’re very sorry for the discomfort to our customers.”

Nobody has come forward to claim responsibility but by all accounts the crew seemed to handle the strain magnificently.