A video has gone viral of a McDonald's security guard appearing to soak a homeless man's belongings with water from a mop bucket in London - as people have branded it "disgusting".

The footage, which was posted on X (formerly known as Twitter), on December 9, was captured outside McDonald’s restaurant in Victoria Street.

The one-minute clip, which has more than 7.6 million views, is captioned: “Hi @McDonaldsUK.

“Do you think it is acceptable for your staff to soak the sleeping bags of homeless people in the middle of winter (or any other time of the year).

“Disgusting behaviour. He wasn’t even outside your premises.”

The video starts by showing the security guard mopping the floor where the homeless man was sitting outside a Nationwide bank.

It proceeds to show the man trying to move his belongings as the water seeps under his sleeping bag and duvet.

The man can be heard saying "leave me alone" as it continues to show his belongings being kicked out of the way.

Moments later, another security guard attempts to stop the person from filming, which he then replies: “I’m allowed to film. That is outrageous behaviour. 

“You have to admit that is outrageous behaviour. You’ve covered his sleeping bag.

“That’s wrong and you know that.”

Bystanders could also be heard describing the situation as "outrageous" and "bang out of order".

McDonald's UK replied to the footage and said: "Thank you for bringing this to our attention.

“It is not one of our employees but a third-party security guard."

In a later reply on X, the fast food chain added: "We are shocked and saddened by this incident.

"The third party security guards involved have been permanently removed from our restaurants and the restaurant team has been reminded of the importance of treating all people with respect, including vulnerable people both in the restaurant and within the wider community.

"We would like to wholeheartedly apologise to the gentleman in the video and will work with the council to locate him and make amends as part of our ongoing work to support homelessness charities in & around the area."