A GREAT-GREAT-GRANDFATHER was shocked to find a three-inch piece of thick wire embedded in his frozen fish.

Maureen and Brian Shellis, who live in Tywyn, were enjoying a fish supper when Brian, 77, suddenly yelled out.

Something had “nicked his gum at the back” and, as he was not wearing his glasses at the time, he passed the offending item to his wife who unfurled it to find a piece of wire, approximately three inches long.

“He shouted out ‘what the hell is this?’ and passed me something that he had bitten into,” said an amazed Maureen, 76.

“I couldn’t believe it when I unwound it, there was this huge bit of wire stuck inside.

“It would’ve been bad enough if it had gone in Brian’s stomach but what if it was one of the grandchildren or great-grandchildren? It could have been really, really bad.”

Following their worrying discovery, the Shellis family immediately contacted Young’s to complain.

They also contacted Iceland in Aberystwyth where they had bought the product.

Iceland assured them that the wire could not have been their fault as the frozen fish is already ‘boxed up’ when it arrived but Young’s suggested that the wire had come from a sandwich bag tie and that they were not to blame.

Maureen told the Cambrian News she was upset by the frozen food company’s response. “I always used to buy their frozen fish, but never again, not after the way they’ve treated me,” she added.

“I think Brian wants compensation as he could’ve really been hurt but I would settle for an apology and assurances that it wouldn’t happen again, that would be enough for me.”

A spokesperson for Young’s Seafood Limited said their own investigation showed the wire didn't come from their factory and that they had offered the family gift vouchers.

“We take all complaints very seriously and we are committed to supplying good-quality products, serving our customers and consumers responsibly," the spokesperson said.

“We worked closely with representatives from the local authority to investigate the issue in detail at our UK factory where the product was made.

“Our factories operate to the highest standards and, following the full investigation and testing, it is our view that the material did not come from our factory. We offered the family a voucher as a token of our good will and we would like to reiterate our best wishes to them.”

Read the full story in today’s Meirionnydd edition of the Cambrian News