Hungry for a lunchtime snack, a mother and daughter almost bit off more than they could chew after finding cockroaches in a sandwich shop.

Francesca and her mother Tracey Miles had popped into their nearby Subway store in South Harrow for a bite to eat one afternoon when they discovered not one, but three cockroaches chilling out in the chilled food counter.

Hoping for a quick fix, they informed the man behind the counter – who they claim continued to serve customers as they walked out the shop.

Francesca said: “I have been going to that Subway for years and have started going every Wednesday, and this time I had gone in with my mum and great grandfather.

“We were queuing up and I just saw the three cockroaches, right next to the food and sauces, so I told my mum and she said we had to inform them.

“I discreetly tried to tell the man behind the counter but he just looked at me blankly and then carried on serving – didn’t even go to look or try to remove them or close the shop.

“As I walked out I notified a lady who had overheard and when I returned past the store 20 or 30 minutes later, the lady was just leaving, and she said they were still there and no action had been taken.”

The pair immediately took to Facebook to highlight the issue, with one friend commenting that they had recently been in the store and had found a cockroach in their salad.

Francesca added: “It was so disgusting – we didn’t need to think twice about leaving.

“That a restaurant that a lot of people go to can have cockroaches is disgusting, it really puts you off your food.

“We will definitely not be going back to that store in a long time.”

She also tried to contact the customer service team to make an official complaint, but says she was offered no apology.

She added: “I got an automated response saying all the stores were franchises, and then a few days after that the manager or owner replied saying initially he couldn’t find a problem but later identified ‘positive cockroach activity’.

“There was no apology and no shock that it had happened.”

The pair were later offered a free footlong sandwich and 50 per cent off a footlong for three other people – an offer they politely declined.

A Subway spokesman said: “The safety and security of our customers is of paramount importance to the SUBWAY® brand.

“Each store is individually owned and operated and we have very strict procedures in place to ensure that SUBWAY® stores serve products safely and to customers’ satisfaction.

“As soon as the issue became apparent, a number of initiatives were put into place including a visit from the local EHO, which are currently being progressed.”