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After handing it over the man's own order arrived, leaving Claire humiliated

The 33-year-old assumed he was homeless so chose to buy him a meal

Claire Varin (pictured) was in McDonald's in Halifax town centre when she saw an unshaven man with a rucksack eating ketchup from the sauce dispenser

A mum-of-two was left 'mortified' when she bought a 'homeless' man gorging on tomato sauce a meal in McDonald's - only to find out it was a hungry customer waiting for his order.

Claire Varin, 33, was in McDonald's in Halifax town centre when she saw an unshaven man with a rucksack sat on a nearby table with no food.

After spotting him eating ketchup directly from the sauce dispenser, Claire feared he was homeless and hungry.

However her 'random act of kindness' backfired after she placed the meal down in front of him - as a member of staff brought over another meal and apologised to him for the wait.

Claire, from Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire, said: 'I was mortified. I felt like I was going to die of embarrassment. I wanted a hole to open up underneath me.

'I didn't stick around to see if he ate the food I bought him too, I just ran out of the shop as quickly as I could.

'God knows what he thought. He probably tells people about the time a crazy woman bought him a breakfast for no reason.'

Claire, a full-time carer, had gone into McDonald's for breakfast at about 9am in the morning on her own.

She noticed the man, who was sat on his own, when he began eating small servings of ketchup.

Claire said: 'To be honest, my imagination ran away with me. Had this poor man been out on the streets all night? Was this the only food he would eat all day?

'Maybe he had no money and was starving. I thought only desperation could lead someone to eat ketchup.

'I felt really sorry for him. It was a very cold morning and I thought how can I sit here with this meal and leave him sat there with just ketchup?

'He must have been sat there for a good 10 minutes so I assumed he hadn't ordered and had just come in from the cold.'

Claire ordered the meal from the busy counter and brought it to the man at his table.

Claire said: 'I placed it on the table and said "this is for you".

'He didn't say anything to me when I gave him the food. He just looked confused. I thought maybe he was shocked but I didn't think anything of it at first.

However her 'random act of kindness' backfired after she placed the meal down in front of him - as a member of staff brought over another meal and apologised to him for the wait

'I felt fantastic and my heart swelled that in some small way maybe I had helped this man.'

But her feelings quickly turned to humiliation when he was brought his actual order just moments later.

Claire said: 'As I was leaving, a member of staff walked past with me with his order and gave it to him, apologising to him for the delay.

'I couldn't believe it. I was so embarrassed. I just left the store as quickly as I could so I don't know whether he touched the meal I had bought him at all.

'My friends won't let me live it down and my husband keeps laughing at me. He says he's going to follow me around from now on to make sure I don't buy strangers food.

'I really enjoy a McDonald's breakfast now and again, but I think I'll have to give that store a miss in the mornings in case I see that man again.'