Image copyright PA Image caption Robert McKevitt took matters into his own hands when a vending machine did not deliver the goods

A man in the US state of Iowa lost his job after using a forklift to dislodge a chocolate bar from a jammed vending machine, according to state records.

Robert McKevitt, 27, was working at a warehouse in the city of Milford when the incident occurred last autumn.

Mr McKevitt said he deposited a dollar in the machine, but his Twix bar snagged on a spiral hook.

He then used an 8,000lb (3,628kg) forklift to shake the machine, according to his employer.

"That machine was trouble," Mr McKevitt told the Des Moines Register, saying he banged on it with his hands but to no avail.

"They fired me, and now I hear they have all new vending machines there."

The former Polaris Industries employee allegedly used the forklift to pick up the vending machine six times and drop it nearly 2ft (61cm) on to a concrete floor.

Three confectionary bars are said to have fallen out.

Mr McKevitt acknowledged using the forklift to move the machine, but said he did not lift or drop it.