Staff at an award-winning restaurant were forced to defend themselves with pots, pans and brooms after trouble broke out from a large party of diners, a court heard.

The customers, who were celebrating a 31st birthday, had only been served with drinks and poppadoms when they accused waiters at Shozna in Rochester of being rude and abrupt, it was alleged.

The group of 22 had been boisterous and was asked to tone down their language.

They decided to leave after criticising owner Jamal Ahmed and complaining they were treated disrespectfully.

But a “bit of argy bahji” developed into a brawl as they were being ushered from the restaurant in Maidstone Road, a jury was told.

CCTV footage showed other diners fleeing from their tables to escape the violence, during which Mr Ahmed was punched in the face.

Prosecutor James Ross said It came to an end when waiters, kitchen staff and a chef fended armed themselves with kitchen equipment and a broom to force the party out the door.

David Pettett and his two sons Tom and Jamie are alleged to have been involved. They all deny affray.

David Pettett, 56, and Tom Pettett, 26, both of Silverweed Road, Chatham, were among those celebrating the 31st birthday of Jamie Pettett, now 32, of Churchill Avenue, Chatham, in July 2015.

Mr Ross said what began as a verbal argument with finger pointing and dissatisfied gestures at staff became a physical tussle.

“It was a moving scrum, a melee of people pushing, shoving and jostling,” he said. “It involved more than the three people in the dock, it involved lots of people.

“But David Pettett and Tom Pettett deliberately joined in and lent themselves to the fight. They were getting stuck in, moving deeper and deeper into the restaurant.

“Jamie Pettett had already left but reappeared and fought his way to the front of the melee and the prosecution say he was offering violence to people there.

“A full grown, fully developed bit of argy-bargy developed and the three defendants joined in for no good reason.”

Mr Ahmed, a curry chef, said his restaurant had a no stag party policy or large groups of men late at night but he welcomed the group because hey were smartly-dressed and it was early evening.

But his feelings soon changed as the group became rowdy, swearing and imitating an Asian accent.

The trial continues.