HUNGER turned to horror for an Oxford woman when she found her box of chocolates crawling with insects and maggots.

Hannah O’Donnell, 21, made the find after opening the Guylian box as a mid-morning treat at the Abingdon campus of Abingdon & Witney College yesterday.

She said the experience had put her off the snack “for life”.

Her grandmother bought the chocolates from a shop near her home in Sandhills over the weekend.

The sell-by date was October 2010 and the box was wrapped in cellophane.

Ms O’Donnell, who is studying accountancy, said: “I opened up the box and the chocolates were crawling with maggots and flies. It was absolutely disgusting.

“There were holes in some of the chocolates where the eggs had been laid. The box was almost moving because there were so many. It was repulsive.”

She has contacted the company, who asked her to send the box to them immediately for examination.

Ms O’Donnell said: “I don’t really understand how this could have happened. The box looked fine from the outside.

“But it was such a shock. Neither me nor my friends could believe what we were seeing. This will definitely put me off eating Guylian again.”

Kevin Toms, managing director of Guylian UK, said: “We’re obviously very concerned about this and are taking it very seriously.

“The box will be sent out for immediate analysis.

“Our chocolates are made under strict quality controls and what appears likely is that infestation happened after the product left the factory. Until we see the box, we cannot say any more.

“We will be delighted to give Ms O’Donnell a full refund, or supply her with a box in perfect condition.

“We sell millions and millions of boxes a year and this is certainly an isolated incident.”