British theatre mogul Andrew Lloyd Webber has finally discovered the cause of his ongoing health battle - medics accidentally cut into a vein during an acupuncture procedure.

The Phantom of the Opera writer has been in constant pain for most of the year (13) and has undergone two bouts of surgery and 12 anaesthetic operations in an unsuccessful bid to end his agony.

Doctors have now pinpointed the source of his health issue to a deep acupuncture needling he received from an osteopath at the start of the year to relieve "a bit of tightness" in his thigh.

They suspect a vein was nicked during the procedure, which caused bleeding into his sciatic nerve and led to the constant pain he suffers - and there is no end in sight for Webber, as he is due to undergo more spinal surgery before experts will know if they have any options left to help him.

He tells British magazine Weekend, "The pain has been appalling. At one point I couldn't move or get out of bed or anything. I developed blood clots because I'd been completely inactive. Then they thought - because the pain was so much - I had an infection in my bones so they gave me pills which gave me a tummy infection. It's like a French farce."