A KFC restaurant in Horsted Retail Park, Chatham, Kent, had to close temporarily after a rat was spotted inside a bin. The incident happened last Friday when customer Lauren Vidler, 32, was shopping with her children for back-to-school supplies and decided to get lunch at the newly opened fast-food outlet, which had just started serving at 11 a.m. Vidler said she and her children were heading upstairs with their food when they heard a scream from below. Looking over the bannister, they saw a large rat jumping around in a bin. Footage later showed the rodent moving inside the bin before an employee partially closed it. After the sighting, all customers were asked to leave the restaurant. Those who had ordered food were given refunds. Vidler mentioned that while she was waiting for her refund, employees continued to serve customers at the drive-thru. She had to inform the refund clerk that the restaurant needed to close. The KFC remained closed for the rest of the day but reopened the following morning. A KFC spokesperson apologized to affected customers, stating that a pest-control specialist was brought in immediately after the incident. Subsequent inspections found no signs of pests in the kitchen, food preparation areas, or storage spaces. The company also said it had implemented additional preventative measures to avoid similar issues. Medway Council confirmed that its environmental health team is aware of the incident and is conducting an investigation. According to the Food Standards Agency, the restaurant was last inspected on 28 July and received a top rating of five out of five, described as "very good."