A shocked KFC customer has described his horror at seeing a rat in the restaurant swept into the street and into a pedestrian.

Justin Marshall, a Waitrose manager, entered the Wimbledon branch in The Broadway just before 7pm last Thursday to grab something to eat when he saw the rat.

He said: "I saw the rat in the right-hand-side dining area.

"At that time it had already been spotted by a couple of customers and a member of staff tried to get it out.

"I then walked out and the guy who worked there then swept it out into the street and into a pedestrian who screamed."

The incident was reported to KFC on Friday and the branch temporarily closed while inspectors investigated.

Mr Marshall said: "I work in retail and I understand that these problems occur but the size of it did raise concerns."

A spokeswoman for KFC said: ""Hygiene is of the utmost importance to KFC and we employ a pest control contractor to carry out regular checks of our properties.

"As soon as we were made aware of this incident, we immediately closed the restaurant and contacted our contractor who carried out a thorough investigation.

"They advised that there is no evidence to suggest that there is any sort of infestation."

The store was open again by 2.30pm on Friday, May 30.