A member of staff at NatWest has told a customer that he believes "all vegans should be punched in the face".

The customer, a lady who doesn't want to be named, was calling her bank to request a £400 loan to fund a nutritional course.

The staff member shared his strange views when the loan request was rejected BristolLive reports.

Speaking to the BBC, the customer said that the member of NatWest staff told her: "All vegans should be punched in the face".

He explained it was because vegan activists had drawn pictures of animals and written messages such as "friends not food" in chalk on pavements near where he lived.

He felt "vegans were forcing their beliefs on to him", she added.

"He wasn't happy to be speaking to me at all, his tone was really unpleasant. Being vegan is a lifestyle choice, I shouldn't be penalised for it, especially by a big organisation. It's extremely unfair."

NatWest have since apologised and offered to pay for the course plus £200 compensation, describing the exchange as "wholly inappropriate".

She told BBC Radio Bristol the exchange, on 23 January, made her feel "really uncomfortable".

NatWest said: "We are extremely sorry for the way our customer was treated by a member of our staff and apologise for any distress and upset that this behaviour caused.

"These comments were wholly inappropriate and we have commenced disciplinary proceedings.

"We have also provided feedback to the relevant sections of the bank to ensure that lessons are learnt so that a situation like this never happens again."