KFC has apologised after serving ice containing hand sanitizer to customers – with one person rushed to the hospital.

The chicken chain's outlet at Gatwick served the contaminated ice cubes to customers for an hour-and-a-half.

At 6.50pm on Wednesday, the ambulance service rushed “to reports of a person suffering a reaction to something they had drank”.  

Environmental enforcement has undertaken an emergency inspection on the restaurant, near the airport's South Terminal.

A KFC spokesman said: “We’re really sorry – this was a genuine mistake. We sanitise our restaurants regularly and have strict hygiene measures, but some sanitiser was accidentally disposed of in the ice tray. It was an accident and we’ve apologised to the guests affected.

The Argus:

"The safety of our guests remains top priority – an Environmental Health Officer has since visited our restaurant and is happy with the procedures we have in place.”

The contaminated ice was served to a "small number" of customers during a 90-minute window.

The chain has reviewed its CCTV and said it is aware of all of those affected.

The ice was not served to any customers who ordered through delivery or drive-though, KFC said.

A spokesman for the South East Ambulance Service (Secamb) said: "We received a call to Gatwick at 6.50pm on Wednesday to reports of a person suffering a reaction to something they had drank.

"They were taken to East Surrey Hospital for further treatment."

Were you one of the customers affected? Email jody.doherty-cove@theargus.co.uk.

Meanwhile, Burger King is encouraging the public to order takeaways from rival fast food chain McDonald’s.

The statement, made on social media as England prepares to go into a second national lockdown, urged people to continue to get food from restaurants to support the industry while restrictions are in place.

READ MORE: Burger King tells public to ‘order from McDonald’s’

The chain wrote on Twitter: “Order from McDonald’s.

“We never thought we’d be asking you to do this.

“Just like we never thought we’d be encouraging you to order from KFC, Subway, Domino’s Pizza, Pizza Hut, Five Guys, Greggs, Taco Bell, Papa John’s, Leon… or any of the other independent food outlets, too numerous to mention here.”