Staff leapt into action after a "massive rat" was spotted in a hospital canteen.

The large rodent was seen on the loose in a cafe on the ground floor of Medway Hospital this afternoon.

One witness described how someone had let out a "massive scream" before staff had rushed to trap the animal.

"There's a massive rat cornered behind a till," they added.

Medway NHS estates and facilities director Claire Lowe said: "Cleanliness and hygiene are one of our highest priorities.

"When a member of the public reported seeing a rodent in the public area of our canteen, we took immediate action by closing the restaurant and deploying specialist pest control operatives.

“The canteen has a five star hygiene rating – the highest that can be awarded – and is checked multiple times a day to ensure it is clean and safe.

"There are no indications that this rodent, or any other pest, had been in the food preparation areas.

“Medway Maritime Hospital has substantial areas of green space and woodland on site, and is situated next to Great Lines Park.

"This means that we continuously undertake a range of robust pest control activities to ensure that rodents and other pests do not get into our buildings.

"On those few occasions where a pest does get into a building, we act swiftly to ensure they are removed by trained pest control operatives, as we have done today."

“The canteen has now been thoroughly cleaned and has reopened, providing our full range of meals and snacks that have been carefully prepared to our regular high standards of hygiene.”