NOTE: Since this story council inspectors have visited and found no problems at the restaurant READ HERE

A TAKEAWAY customer was finally given her money back after finding a dead wasp in her kebab.

Kayleigh Crafer ordered a treat from Charcoal Grill in Lewes Road, Brighton, last week.

As her family sat down to tuck in to their food in Moulsecoomb, her boyfriend was shocked to find the insect.

But she said when she complained to the takeaway to ask them to take the food away and give her a refund, they labelled her a “scumbag”.

Brighton and Hove City Council’s food standards department is investigating the complaint.

The restaurant owners feared Ms Crafer was trying to damage the business and said it could not be proved where the wasp came from.

But they have since agreed to refund the cash.

Ms Crafer, 34, said: “We were all eating our own food.

“We intended it as a final treat before starting a meat-free month.

“My boyfriend went to turn it over and there it was. We all just felt sick. It turned my stomach.

“We couldn’t eat our meals, it was disgusting. It was a dead wasp and that was just gross. It was not something which had just died or just flown in.

“When I first rang to say there’s an issue with my food, I told them there’s a wasp in it.”

She rang the takeaway to appeal for a refund on the order, but said her complaints fell on deaf ears to start with.

Ms Crafer said: “It could have come in from anywhere, we all know what it’s like. I asked them to come and collect the food and get a refund

“But they suggested I put the bug in there. They asked us if the food still looked OK. It was meant to be a treat, but it felt like £40 wasted.

“Just giving us a refund and an apology would have been easier. I wrote a review on Facebook that got shared. So they called me a dishonest scumbag.”

Charcoal Grill manager Murat Akin said the business has been running for 40 years and feared it was being “blackmailed”.

He claimed the family had eaten the food but still wanted a refund.

Mr Akin said: “There could be a number of reasons why the wasp was there. It is 50/50, it could be from us or it could have gone in from them.

“For any business like ours it can happen. We were happy to refund the cost of the meal with the wasp in it.

“I’m not sure what else we could do. It is a takeaway, and sometimes things like this can happen. No one wants to upset their customers.

“I have sent her a message to say I’m sorry that she felt let down

“We are here to serve customers and keep them happy, and we want them to respect us for what we do.”

Brighton and Hove City Council said: “We can confirm that we have received a complaint and are investigating.”

It is understood Mr Akin agreed to refund the whole cost of the meal with Ms Crafer.