The New Chutney Express owner Rajakumar Rajalingram was being informed his premises did not meet hygiene standards as rodent droppings could clearly be seen on  food preparation areas and shelves, when a rat suddenly appeared.

Mr Rajalingram was then forced to kill said rodent visitor in front of horrified health inspectors as they carried out an assessment of his take away shop.

“This was a shocking catalogue of hygiene and food safety breaches,” council spokesman on consumer protection Cllr Jonathan Cook said.

“These premises were in a truly appalling state and posed an unacceptable danger to public health.

“Luckily our food team acted quickly and closed the premises down until they had been properly cleaned and adequate pest proofing measures introduced.”

Main images via Kake Pugh on Flickr + Thinkstock