A shocking video shows rats scurrying around bins near a seafront in broad daylight - as residents fear the rodent population has "exploded" in their town.

The video was taken in Hall By The Sea Road, which runs behind The Mechanical Elephant Wetherspoon pub and Dreamland, in Margate at 6pm yesterday.

Jamie Jones, who captured the critters on camera, walks through the alley every day on his way to and from work.

The vape shop owner said: “I've noticed the amount of rodents growing since early February. I used to see just one or two, but recently the rat population has exploded.

“They live on the waste ground behind the arcades. The rubbish there is awful and has been left to rot for a long time.”

The vermin have been an “ongoing issue” according to bosses at the nearby Spoons, who claim a “wasteland” with overflowing bins in the proximity to their business is to blame. No rats have been found inside the pub.

The clip shows at least six of the “brazen” animals sitting on bins, with two climbing on a metal cage trolley.

Mr Jones can be heard saying: “I’m pretty sure that’s the back of Wetherspoons.”

They begin to scatter once he is right next to them, but one appears to be trapped inside the trolley.

The 41-year-old added: “I usually pass a couple of chefs sitting outside that door, having a well-deserved break, but this time there was no one and I guess the rats felt confident enough to come out and look for food.

“They are brazen - they didn't really care I was there.

“I hope something can be done to clean up the area and deal with the rat infestation.”

Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon said: “Our pubs are regularly checked by specialist contractors for rodent activity and none has been identified inside the Mechanical Elephant.

“The pub has a maximum 5-star rating under the national food hygiene inspection scheme.

“The issue of rats to the rear of both the pub and other nearby businesses has been an ongoing one.

“They are attracted from nearby wasteland by a number of overflowing bins and fly-tipped waste.

“We have placed traps in the area to reduce activity.”

The pub chain revealed that Thanet District Council has been notified of the problem by them and other local businesses.

“We hope they can take more widespread action to deal with the root causes,” Mr Gershon added.

A council spokesman stated: “Council officers have been made aware of a video circulating and arrangements are being made for officers to investigate.”