A video circulating on TikTok shows earthworms swarming the drinks machine in a McDonald’s restaurant in south east London.

The video shows a number of large earthworms attached to the bottom of a machine used to vendor soft drinks.

It is captioned “this is the McDonald’s old Kent road in south London!”

TikTokers have viewed the video more than 400,000 times, and it has received thousands of likes and hundreds of comments.

@mcoldkentroad

@McDonald’s UK ##mcdonalds ##fyp ##magots ##oldkentroad ##london ##southlondon ##maccies

♬ original sound - mcOldKentRoad

The account which has posted the video, @mcOldKentRoad, claimed in the video's comments section that they work at this McDonald’s restaurant – but “will leave soon after this”.

They also said the animals were maggots, but a McDonald’s spokesperson has said the animals are “earthworms” which came as a result of an issue in the drain serving the drinks station.

The spokesperson said the drinks station was “immediately” closed and that the McDonald’s hygiene team identified and fixed the issue before a deep clean.

They added: “The area was inspected by external specialists and no drinks were served to customers until we were sure that the issue was fully resolved.”

McDonald’s also said it had been confirmed that this was an “isolated incident not an infestation.”

Video-poster @mcOldKentRoad has tagged @McDonald’s UK in the TikTok video and asked “what do you have to say about this?”

McDonald’s does not appear to have responded publicly on the platform.

One TikTok user commented on the video “avoid that place”, to which @mcOldKentRoad replied “absolutely”.

@mcOldKentRoad also responded “don’t” when another person claimed to eat at the restaurant “at least once a week”.

The full statement from the McDonald’s spokesperson said: “We take cleanliness and hygiene extremely seriously.

“Unfortunately, a number of weeks ago we were made aware of an issue in the drain serving the drinks station at our Old Kent Road restaurant. We immediately closed the drinks station and our hygiene team identified the cause of the issue which was fixed before a deep clean was carried out.

“The area was inspected by external specialists and no drinks were served to customers until we were sure that the issue was fully resolved.

“The issue was earthworms which had found their way into the restaurant, not maggots

“Our external specialists confirmed that it was an isolated incident not an infestation.”

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