A Wetherspoon pub in Truro had to close when appalled diners reported seeing a rodent running around the restaurant floor.

An eyewitness, who wishes to remain anonymous, told Truro Voice that at around 2pm on Friday afternoon, he and his wife were sitting at a table two-thirds of the way down the pub and before the raised area when the rodent made its appearance.

“Out of the corner of my eye I distinctly saw what looked like a rat moving towards the back of the pub,” he said, estimating the length of the creature at “nine or ten inches long, including the tail”.

“It went past an elderly gent, who didn’t see it, and an elderly lady who did, then past a couple more tables where people spotted it. It ended up in the far right-hand corner of the raised area, then disappeared.”

The eyewitness and the elderly lady reported the sighting to staff. “They put a reserved sign around the far table and sent someone to do a lot of sweeping.

“By the time we had finished our meals, at around 3.15pm, staff had made the decision to close the pub, and were asking people to leave and not letting anyone in.”

Wetherspoon spokesperson Eddie Gershon said: “A small mouse was spotted in the pub on Friday, and as a result, the decision was taken to close the pub.

“We believe this was a one-off situation. Rentokil were called in to deal with the situation. The pub reopened on Sunday.

“It is worth noting that the pub has consistently received the top hygiene rating from the local council environmental team since opening in 2006.”