VIDEO: Boston restaurant diner finds dead rat under his seat

A customer eating in a popular Boston restaurant, which has a five-star hygiene rating, was disgusted to find a dead rat underneath his chair.
By The Newsroom
Published 20th Feb 2017, 07:58 GMT
Updated 1st Mar 2017, 08:06 GMT
A photo taken by Will Robinson which shows a dead rat caught in a trap which he found under his chair at a Brewer's Fayre in Boston.A photo taken by Will Robinson which shows a dead rat caught in a trap which he found under his chair at a Brewer's Fayre in Boston.
A photo taken by Will Robinson which shows a dead rat caught in a trap which he found under his chair at a Brewer's Fayre in Boston.

Will Robinson, 22, was enjoying a meal with friends at Brewer’s Fayre when a dropped mobile phone led to the discovery of the unwanted dinner guest.

While searching on the floor for the device he spotted the deceased rodent in a trap.

He said: “It was about tea time when we had just finished our food and was about to leave when my mate dropped his phone and couldn’t find it.”

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A photo taken by Will Robinson which shows a dead rat caught in a trap which he found under his chair at a Brewer's Fayre in Boston.A photo taken by Will Robinson which shows a dead rat caught in a trap which he found under his chair at a Brewer's Fayre in Boston.
A photo taken by Will Robinson which shows a dead rat caught in a trap which he found under his chair at a Brewer's Fayre in Boston.

While searching on the floor for the device he spotted the deceased rodent in a trap.

He captured the rodent in a Snapchat video before informing a member of staff.

However, when he told workers at the restaurant they did not seem surprised – as they supposedly already knew they might have issues with vermin.

Will said: “We called the manager over straight away and he told us there were traps because the farmers have been on the fields so the rats had come in.

A photo taken by Will Robinson which shows a dead rat caught in a trap which he found under his chair at a Brewer's Fayre in Boston.A photo taken by Will Robinson which shows a dead rat caught in a trap which he found under his chair at a Brewer's Fayre in Boston.
A photo taken by Will Robinson which shows a dead rat caught in a trap which he found under his chair at a Brewer's Fayre in Boston.

“I thought the restaurant would have to close if there was a problem with rats.”

He filmed the dead creature under the chair on his phone, which has been viewed more than 15,000 times on Facebook since the discovery on Friday February 17.

Mr Robinson claims the manager offered the group a free meal on their next visit.

He said: “We won’t be taking up the offer - none of us want to eat there again.

“The discovery of the rat has put us off completely.

“Finding the rat was such a big shock. Seeing it made us feel physically sick.

“It is a popular place and a lot of families go there. It’s not good at all.”

According to the Food Standards Agency the restaurant was last inspected for food hygiene in January 2016.

A Whitbread spokesperson said: “We are extremely sorry to learn of this incident and would like to apologise sincerely to these guests.

“We pride ourselves on maintaining exemplary standards of health and safety and this is completely unacceptable.

“We have conducted a thorough inspection and are confident that there is no evidence of current pest activity at the site. We are also looking into how this could have happened as a matter of priority.”

Related topics:Will RobinsonFacebookFood Standards Agency