A Maltese man and his husband faced a tirade of abuse at a Greek restaurant in Birmingham when they complained about their meal, according to a report on the online Daily Mail.

Markus Busuttil, 28, and Steven, 24, were celebrating their wedding anniversary when the waiter allegedly launched a tirade telling the couple they were “an embarrassment to the world”.

Mr Busuttil, a PhD student, claimed the waiter also told them: “We don’t like people like you in Greece. We cut off your legs. Your mum is a s***. I will f****** kill you...”

The student, who met Steven five years ago while studying in Wales, said that after 15 minutes of “terror” when they returned their dried up and salty main courses, the waiter started to claim the couple attacked him, so he secretly recorded the banter on the phone.

“We love how open and friendly and multicultural this city is and that is why we think this kind of behaviour should be exposed,” Mr Busuttil told the Daily Mail.

The newspaper also reported that the West Midlands police were investigating the incident as a possible hate crime.