This footage shows a man lifting up a hot plate at a Chinese restaurant and finding numerous cockroaches scurrying around.

The incident took place in Huairou District in the Chinese capital Beijing on 3rd October when the man, who has been named as Mr Chen by local media, took his family out to dinner at the Habul restaurant.

However, the meal did not go to plan because, as the footage shows, he apparently found additional ingredients that he had not ordered in the form of life cockroaches scurrying around under the food, and in particular under a hot plate used to keep the food warm and cook other ingredients.

He said he became nauseous at the sight and when he reported it to restaurant staff, they awkwardly laughed off the matter. While they told the customer that his meal would be free, it is unclear if they continued eating after the gruesome discovery.

Mr Chen said that he had complained about the situation to the public hotline, and the staff said they would deal with the matter after the holiday, according to local media reports.