Waitress violently attacked by group of angry diners after 'waiting a long time' for food

A waitress was violently attacked by angry diners after they had "waited a long time" for their food, CCTV footage has revealed.

The shocking clip shows a group of six or seven disgruntled customers approaching a uniformed female server in the middle of a busy restaurant.

The incident allegedly took place after the waitress told customers to be patient while their food was being prepared at Tianxiake Chinese restaurant in Hengyang, Hunan Province at approximately on 25 February.

A man is seen aggressively gesturing at the woman before he and several others start to physically hit her and pull at her hair.

Diners who appear to be accompanying the man then jump in on the action, with one woman grabbing crockery off a nearby table and throwing it onto the floor.

In the background of the footage, customers can be seen quietly observing the disturbing violence unfolding before their eyes.

The distraught waitress is later helped by other members of staff.

Manager of the restaurant, Mis Li, said: "The diners were angry and complained that they had been waiting for a long time. One man was telling another group of diners that the dishes were too expensive."

Hengyang Police have been contacted to try to track down the group of diners and the 48-year-old waitress received treatment in hospital following the incident, but was not seriously injured.