Patrons of the Crown Inn in Lea, Herefordshire enjoyed a very Monty Python-esque evening when they were rudely interrupted by police searching for a relic that some believe is the Holy Grail.

The London Independent reports that 12 officers and one sniffer dog of the West Mercia Police barged into the pub in search of the stolen Nanteos Cup.

Despite a thorough search of the premises, including checking a baby's pram, all that was found that resembled the artefact was an old wooden salad bowl.

The relic is a wooden drinking chalice that some believe may be the one Jesus drank from at the Last Supper. Though the claim is heavily contested - there are over 200 other such 'grails' - it is traditionally believed to have healing powers.

The cup was stolen from the nearby village of Weston Under Penyard last month, and police have since been searching the area.

At the time of the burglary, a police spokesperson said: "I don’t want to say we are hunting the Holy Grail, but police are investigating the burglary."