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Jonathon Pengelly was queuing in a Cardiff McDonald's after a night out when he saw a woman ask for a cup of hot water.

When the woman was declined the drink, Jonathon decided to step in and help.

Now, his Facebook post detailing his act of kindness - which went far beyond getting her the cup of water she asked for - has been shared thousands of times.

In the post Jonathon says: “I couldn’t help but notice the lady in front me, all she asked for was a cup of hot water.

“The member of staff told her no. I don’t know what was going through their mind but a lady, clearly homeless, was asking for a basic human right and for a multi billion pound company to say no is disgusting!”

“My heart was shattered! So I spoke to her and told her to order what she wanted, expecting her to order everything.

“I was so shocked. She asked for a single cheese burger and that was it. We bought as much as we could carry so I knew she wasn’t going to be hungry.”

Read Jonathon's full account of the story here.

After speaking to the woman and hearing her story, Jonathon decided to help even more by letting Polly and her friend stay at his house and cooked food.

McDonald's allows TV cameras inside its factory for the first time

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Jonathon said: “When I got to speak to them I was genuinely shocked at their story and how educated they were! So full of life and enthusiasm and they literally have nothing!

“Polly and her mate have had showers, brushed their teeth and they both said they have ever felt so appreciated in their life.

“I’m no saint, but this small act of kindness cost me about £20.

“It costs nothing to be kind, and I genuinely hope people share this to raise awareness of homelessness throughout the UK!"

A McDonald’s spokesperson said: “There is no McDonald’s policy to ban homeless people from our stores and the vast majority of such requests are granted by our restaurant teams.

"Working with the local police, our Cardiff stores have had to ban a number of individuals due to illegal and anti-social behaviour.”