Shocking footage shows a vicious fight between a McDonald's worker and a customer – which ends in a mass brawl in the busy restaurant.

The 33-second clip shows a male customer holding the employee in a headlock as his screaming co-workers desperately try to the break them apart.

A furious female member of staff even hits the customer to push him off her colleague while another male patron tries to attack a different woman among the McDonald's staff.

The incident is believed to have taken place in the McDonald's restaurant on Uxbridge Road in Shepherds Bush, west London on September 1.

Police received 71 reports of crime at the fast-food venue last year.

But in March he branch owner claimed they had successfully reduced anti-social behaviour in the restaurant by playing classical music.

During the video, which was uploaded to Instagram earlier this month, people can be heard screaming in horror as the customer – wearing a black hoodie with multi-coloured stripes – seems to have the male employee in a tight headlock.

Four co-workers desperately try to grab the customer as he appears to choke their colleague.

Meanwhile two burly McDonald's security staff can be seen trying to reach the warring pair through the crowds in the restaurant.

A customer (wearing a striped jumper) grapples with staff at the Uxbridge Road McDonalds

A man in a white hoodie - who appears to be a friend of the fighting customer – tries to push the McDonald's staff off him and shouts 'get off him, get off him!' while the security staff order the customer to 'let go, let go, let go!'

But as six workers frantically try to pull the man away from their colleague, he strikes one of the mediating female employees over the head.

The McDonald's staff resort to more desperate methods to break the chaotic fight apart – with one female employee even punching the customer over the head with a hand full of receipts.

Security intervened at the Shepherds Bush restaurant as a worker (right) was in a headlock

Finally the group of employees manage to tear the sparring pair apart, but as they do this another customer grabs a tall female worker by her chest to push her.

She angrily shoves him off, and the customer appears to slap another shorter female colleague standing behind her in the face.

This causes the shorter McDonald's female worker to furiously react.

She shouts an expletive-ridden rant at the customer and a male colleague physically restrains her.

A female employee (pictured) is restrained by a male colleague as she shouts expletives

The camera then pans back to the former scene of the fight and the busy restaurant has been left in chaos.

McDonald's staff and customers yell at each other – whilst one male employee can heard telling people to 'relax, relax, relax!'

As the staff and customers engage in a heated argument, a bespectacled female employee emerges between the warring sides and tries to end the turmoil.

The video cuts to an end.

Social media users have expressed their astonishment at the anarchy in the viral clip.

Many individuals commented that violent fights always occured at McDonalds. @mynameis2basic said 'Why do people treat McDonalds's like it's a WWE ring'

Meanwhile @mrchurchy_problem said 'Whys it always mcds when theres a fight [sic]' and @rxvah wrote 'Always McDonalds'.