A homeless man was made to eat in Southend branch of Starbucks after a well-wisher forced food on him.

Ian Napton was sitting quietly outside his local Starbucks, cap on the floor and a small dog at his side when a well-meaning member of the public stopped for a chat. After a few moments, the Good Samaritan offered to buy Ian some food.

“I was a bit hungry, but what I needed was cash for a bag of Pedigree Chum for me and Rover. Just a couple of quid would have helped. It’s not that bad once you get used to it. Anyway, he wouldn’t listen. Back he came with an enormous coffee, a slice of cake and one of those very expensive but tiny chocolate bars. I said no but he wouldn’t leave it.”

Staff tried to help by telling Ian to leave as they didn’t serve his sort, but the Good Samaritan wasn’t having it. He made Ian sit down and eat the cake, drink the coffee and eat the really tiny chocolate bar.

“He told the staff he’d paid for it and he’s was damn well going to make sure I ate it. Do you know what a pint of coffee does to your insides, where am I supposed to find a toilet? and as for getting to sleep at night, there’s no chance of that. What’s worse is that I could have stayed in a B&B for a week with what he’d paid. I wish the staff had thrown me out.”

Starbucks responded to an online video of the incident by saying that they would launch a full investigation, and staff would undergo all necessary training to ensure that no more homeless people visited their store.