This is the moment a Starbucks customer who bought a homeless man lunch confronts staff after they tell him he can't sit at their outdoor tables.

Sajid Kahlon had purchased the £8.45 meal at a branch in Southend-on-Sea after spotting the man looking 'hungry' and 'searching for food'.

But he was forced to film after a Starbucks employee and security guard told the homeless man he could not eat the sandwich and chocolate cake in the seating area outside the coffee shop.

In the footage, Mr Kahlon can be heard confronting staff who tell him the homeless man needs to leave due to 'a policy of the company'.

This is the moment a Starbucks customer who bought a homeless man lunch confronts staff after they tell him he can't eat the food at their outdoor tables

Mr Kahlon argues that he paid for the food, saying: 'I paid for that, if the food is being bought and he is eating that food. I spent like £8, and he is eating the food. Why can't he have a seat, is he not human?'.

The security guard and employee try to reason with him, as the homeless man sits at the table with his lunch.

'Now he is obviously eating the food, you can't just ask him to leave. Let him eat the food and he can leave, whats the problem?', Mr Kahlon says in the clip.

'He's eating his lunch, then let him eat the food,' he adds.

The security guard and employee try to reason with him, as the homeless man sits at the table with his lunch

Mr Kahlon said he had bought that meal for the hungry man because he looked 'hungry and weak', according to Your Southend.

He said: 'It was painful to see that someone had to search for food like that. I asked him if he was hungry and if he would like me to buy him some food? He replied yes in a very weak voice.

'But as he was sitting there eating his paid-for lunch, one of the staff members went over to him with a security officer and told him to leave.

Mr Kahlon that he had bought that meal for the hungry man because he looked 'hungry and weak'

'I understand the point of view of Starbucks, but I still feel this type of situation needed to be dealt with more respect and empathy. We are all human and we all get hungry.'

A Starbucks spokesperson said: 'The interaction on video is not indicative of the environment we strive to create.

'We are looking into the circumstances surrounding this customer’s experience and will take appropriate action to ensure that our stores remain welcoming places for everyone.

'We want every customer to have a positive experience, and we apologise that we did not meet that expectation in this instance.'