A young Maltese man and his husband were verbally abused for being gay as a romantic anniversary dinner in a Birmingham restaurant turned sour.

Markus Busuttil, 28, and Steven, 24, were celebrating their first month of marriage at a Greek restaurant when they complained about their food.

A staff member told the couple they “are an embarrassment to the world” in a litany of abuse that was recorded by Mr Busuttil.

“We could not believe what we were hearing and it was a big shock,” Mr Busuttil said yesterday.

In the outburst, the man is heard saying: “F****** queers. You should be ashamed of yourselves… We don’t like people like you in Greece. We cut off your legs. You are an embarrassment to the world.”

Mr Busuttil believes the assault was motivated by the fact that they were gay and, according to the Daily Mail, the West Midlands police confirmed they were investigating the incident as possible hate crime.

Problems started when the main courses arrived 20 minutes after they had starters. The couple were not happy with the food and sent the dish back.

The waiter was professional and apologetic, Mr Busuttil said, but another person appeared who asked whether they were Greek and implied they knew nothing about food.

A PhD student at the University of Birmingham, Mr Busuttil and his husband live in the city centre.

They had known each other for five years before getting married in Germany.

Additional reporting by Claudia Calleja