A tourist on a stop for fried chicken was horrified after spotting what appears to be a rat's tail dangling from a KFC air vent.
The customer was visiting Edinburgh for the Fringe Festival when they popped into a branch for some food.
But while waiting in the queue, the tourist's eyes were drawn to a vent overhead - and something revolting hanging from it.
The tail of what looks like a dead rat was dangling merely a few feet above the heads of diners tucking into the chain's fried chicken.
The customer, who wished to remain anonymous, snapped a picture of the tail, which they said was on August 14 - four days before the city was hit by bin strikes.
The diner added they were left shocked that staff failed to take appropriate action to ensure the health and safety of the public in the fast food chain.
"On the day, they didn’t remove anyone eating downstairs, breathing in the fumes or the dead rat in the air vent, they just stopped people going downstairs to see it," they told Edinburgh Live.
Following their experience, they subsequently raised the issue with KFC's online care team, first contacting them on August 16, but were left dissatisfied with their response.
They said: "After a long back and forth they, responded on August 26 to say that the manager has said the lobby is closed - which I believe is just the downstairs bit - as it had been open everyday since. I’m not sure if it’s open now as I’m not in Edinburgh at the moment."
When asked for comment in response to the claims, KFC said they pest control were called to the site 'immediately', but admitted 'this wasn't a great experience', while adding that they refunded the customer's meal.
A KFC Spokesperson said: "Operating responsibly is our number one priority and we have strict processes in place to ensure the quality and hygiene standards of all our restaurants.
"The team called in pest control immediately who visited the restaurant, dealt with the issue and checked all procedures.
"But ultimately, this wasn’t a great experience, and we never want to leave our guests disappointed, so we’ve already refunded their meal."
