McDonald's restaurant invaded by rat

Diners at a busy McDonald's were left screaming in horror when the restaurant was invaded by a huge rat.

The rodent sent staff at the city centre eatery in Rotherham into a mad scurry as they rushed to corner it with a cardboard box and a shovel.

But if the branch had hoped to sweep the incident under the carpet, they were thwarted by a passerby who filmed the moment staff ejected the rat from the premises.

Joanna Bamforth, who captured the footage said: "I stood back and as the staff and managers of McDonald's were running around in the door way, I asked a young lady what all the fuss was about."

"She said, they were trying to catch a rat, it was at that point I got my phone out and videoed what was happening."

"Everyone was stood around screaming and to be fair I was also a little bit shaken."

A spokesperson for the fast food chain said: "Hygiene and cleanliness is of the utmost importance to us."

"Unfortunately, this morning a rat ran through the front doors of the restaurant, however, it was quickly contained in a small area next to the doors and removed."

"The restaurant was very briefly closed while the issue was being dealt with and the appropriate area was cleaned."

"The Environmental Health Officer was immediately called and was happy with the way the situation was handled."

"This issue did not in any way affect the kitchen or areas in close proximity."

You can see the moment the rat was ejected in the video above.