A barrage of brutal reviews has gained a Kent branch of KFC the dubious title of the UK's worst.

But can it really be that bad? Reporter Max Chesson went along to find out.

One reviewer calls it "reliably shambolic", while another advises diners to "take a book and a sick bag".

For most restaurants, racking up more than 100 'terrible' reviews on Tripadvisor would be a major issue - especially when they account for almost 70% of feedback.

Yet KFC at Chestfield, near Whitstable, continues to plod along regardless in an almost admirable show of resilience.

The branch of the fast-food chain, which sits on the side of the busy Thanet Way, has recently been dubbed "The UK's worst KFC" in the national media.

Criticism ranges from slow service, to wrong orders, "inedible" food, unavailable items and irregular opening hours.

But is it deserving of the undesirable title? Is there any truth to the claims of disgruntled diners, and if there is, how bad can it really be?

There's only one way to find out, so I head over for a spot of lunch at the much-maligned eatery.

At exactly 12.07pm on a blue-skied day, I arrive at the Colonel's door ready to be horrified, but instead I'm greeted by a quiet restaurant with generic, inoffensive pop music gently playing from the speakers.

My eye is immediately drawn to a puddle of mystery brown liquid slowly growing in size by the bin.

A worker ambles over and moves it to expose a pool, which means they've either got leaky bins or the floors aren't being mopped as often as they should. Neither is reassuring.

What I believe to be a manager has set up a makeshift desk out of some of the tables and is staring at a piece of paper intently while alerts ping from both of his laptops.

I look over towards the counter to see if anyone else will make an appearance but a few minutes pass and it seems everyone with the ability to use the till is otherwise occupied.

Onto the self-service kiosk it is then, and I part ways with £8.99 in exchange for a boneless banquet meal.

For anyone unfamiliar, it consists of three mini fillets, a small helping of popcorn chicken, fries and a side of choice - I opted for gravy - as well as a medium-sized drink.

It is not an insignificant amount of food, and for what it costs I'd say it represents decent enough value for money in terms of portion size.

Within five minutes I am handed my food. Everything is correct with my order - one of the major issues people have - but a fellow diner is given the wrong drink. It's certainly not a crime but frustrating nonetheless.

And as for the taste side of things, it lacks inspiration. I'm beginning to wonder if the 11 secret herbs and spices have become so elusive that even KFC HQ would struggle to recall them.

If they do know what they are, they're doing a good job of keeping them under wraps, with not so much as a single hint of flavour in the fillets or the popcorn chicken.

It's the equivalent of a ham sandwich, ready salted crisps and bottle of water meal deal - bland, boring and in dire need of some spice.

But, if one of the biggest complaints from customers is undercooked chicken, they certainly can't be accused of that on this occasion.

The meat is as white as a sheet - likely the same shade you would expect the bird itself to turn had it been told it was to become a reporter's under-seasoned lunch.

One of the cornerstones of the fried food brand is the gravy it offers customers, but it's not something I've ever bought into and it doesn't scream quality at me.

If it's meant to be watery then great, I'm proven wrong and everyone's a winner. What I'm looking at though is every Northerner's worst nightmare.

The chips are fine - it's hard to go wrong with potatoes, and with a pinch of salt they become by far the tastiest part of the meal.

I finish up, neither content nor dissatisfied, and decide I'll make use of the facilities before I depart. The men's toilet sports an 'out of order' sign but the disabled toilet door is wide open.

I take a look and I'm disappointed but not surprised to see the floor is dirty, with several people having missed the bowl.

The well-used toilet brush has old bits of toilet paper stuck to it, and it's the thought of this that makes me swiftly depart.

With many of the complaints directed at the drive-thru, I decide to test that bit out too. As I pull up beside the order kiosk hoping for something sweet to round off the meal, it's jarring to hear the ice cream machine isn't working.

I certainly don't want any more food, so I opt for another drink and get to watch the woman in front of me slowly lose her mind as her order takes a lifetime to arrive.

With that, I'm left wondering what other delights I can sample. But with reviewers' claims of food poisoning echoing in my mind, I decide to quit while I'm ahead.

Ultimately, this place embodies the worst aspects of the fast-food industry. It's grubby, the food doesn't taste great and the service is lacking.

Of course it's very easy to blame the staff, but why should they run around like headless chickens for just over minimum wage?

One reviewer asks: "Why don't KFC care about this branch?" and the lack of care is evident.

While I doubt it is truly is the UK's worst KFC, my visit gave me little reason to think otherwise.