A teenage girl who recently discovered she has four kidneys is hoping to be able to donate two of them to patients desperately in need of a transplant.

Laura Moon, 18, from Whinmoor, Leeds, is one of a tiny number of people to have four of the organs growing naturally. She only became aware of her unusual anatomy six months ago after undergoing an ultrasound scan to investigate stomach pains following a car crash.

'I realised that the doctor scanning me hadn't said anything for a long time. I thought he was going to give me bad news. But then he said: "You've got four kidneys." He measured them and I have two which are 14cm and two which are 9cm.'

Laura, who is about to start work as a customer services adviser, heard about three-year-old Luke Heppenstall, who urgently needs a new kidney. It occurred to her that if she had four kidneys and did not need all of them, she might be able to donate two to someone who did.

'I'm not exactly sure how [organ] donations work, but I do know that I have four kidneys and that I would like to help someone like Luke if possible,' she said.

She is now undergoing tests to see if all four kidneys are functioning and if she will be able to donate at least one, although she would not be able to choose the recipient.