A factory worker from southeast China put a half-a-metre long eel into his anus in a bid to cure his constipation problem.

49-year-old Mr Liu was rushed to the local hospital after claiming he had a stomach ache last week.

Doctors were shocked when the found the Asian swamp eel in his stomach along with faeces and food residue.

Mr Liu, from Guangzhou, 49, stuck a 1.64 ft long eel in his anus in a bid to cure his constipation

Liu lied that the eel went into his anus by mistake when the doctor first spotted the fish

According to a report on Guangdong Television, Liu visited the hospital claiming he had a constipation problem. Doctors diagnosed the man with bowel obstruction and recommended that he stay at the hospital for further treatment.

Liu refused and decided to resort to ancient method of treating constipation by putting an eel into his anus to try and clear the blockage.

However the eel caused a major stomach ache and he was rushed to Guangzhou Dongren Hospital.

Doctors examined Liu's abdominal area and found a hole in the duodenum area. They were then shocked to find an eel in his intestines.

They removed the half-a-metre (1.64 ft) long Asian swamp eel, weighing about 250g (0.55 lbs), with a head of three to five centimeters (1.18 - 1.97 inch) wide.

They also found faeces and food residue in this body.

Dr Zhao said the patient could have life-threatening risk if he came in later for treatment

Liu said to have found a folk medicine belief that putting an eel in his anus could clear a bowel blockage

Dr Zhao Zhirong, surgeon at the hospital told reporters that the patient didn't explain the cause of his stomach ache when he was admitted to the hospital.

'We asked Mr Liu when we spotted the eel in his stomach, he said the eel went into his anus by mistake. But after the surgery, he told us that he actually put an eel inside his anus himself,' said Dr Zhao.

He also added that the situation could have been much worse had he waited to come to the hospital.

Liu explained to the doctor that he used the eel to treat his symptoms instead of staying in the hospital.

The eel was found dead when the doctors took it out, but it is unsure whether or not the eel was alive when Liu put it in.

Liu is now recovering in the hospital.