A woman in China was surprised to find locked padlocks on the buttons of an elevator and decided to film it to share online.

The strange incident was reported in the city of Yancheng, in the eastern-central coastal province of Jiangsu.

The camerawoman identified only as Ms Wu said she found the whole scene almost surreal when she entered a little-used freight elevator and found the numbers had rusty locks on them.

The number five button was totally covered and locked so that it could not be pressed.

She also notice that the number two and number three also had flaps that could be locked although at the time the woman was in the elevator, they were left open and accessible.

Only the number four and the first floor appear to be available at all times.

She said: “As for the specific situation, I don’t know what it is. It’s the first time I have seen a “locked elevator” despite taking elevators for so many years.

She also did not expect such a reaction from netizens who began to share the story and make assumptions on the reason for the locks.

One person wrote: “Could it be that there are some unknown secrets about this fifth floor? Every night, will this lock open silently by itself?”

While another said: “There is no money being paid by people on the fifth floor, so this elevator will not be used on the fifth floor. This is all normal, and we need to get used to a society that operates like this.”