MCDONALD'S staff at a Welsh branch allegedly "made jokes about putting cash bets on which of them could sleep with a new recruit first".

The allegation forms part of a BBC investigation into claims of bullying made by more than 100 UK workers at the fast food chain.

The BBC said a "toxic culture of sexual assault, harassment, racism and bullying" had been alleged by current and recent McDonald's staff - some as young as 17.

Elsewhere in the UK, staff reported being sent explicit images or called racial slurs by colleagues, the BBC said.

The boss of McDonald's in the UK has apologised, telling the BBC the fast food firm had "fallen short" in some cases.

The BBC investigation comes four years after 1,000 women reported they had been subjected to sexual harassment and abuse while working at McDonald’s restaurants, according to the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers’ Union (BFAWU).

The claims published by the BBC on Tuesday bear a close resemblance to what the BFAWU said in 2019.

Both say that managers failed to act on some complaints, and that predatory employees were moved to different McDonald’s sites rather than being fired.

Responding to the investigation, McDonald’s UK and Ireland chief executive Alistair Macrow said: "Every one of the 177,000 employees in McDonald’s UK deserves to work in a safe, respectful and inclusive workplace.

"There are clearly instances where we have fallen short and for that we deeply apologise.

"There is simply no place for harassment, abuse, or discrimination of any kind at McDonald’s, and we will investigate all allegations brought to us, and all proven breaches of our code of conduct will be met with the most severe measures we can legally impose, up to and including dismissal."

Mr Macrow said McDonald’s UK committed in February, with the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, to a "zero-tolerance approach to any kind of harassment" which included new training and "the roll out of new policies and strict reporting processes".

The commission said McDonald’s had made legally binding commitments, including an anonymous survey of workers about workplace safety and improving its policies to prevent and respond to sexual harassment.

"Under the Equality Act 2010, employers are legally responsible if an employee is sexually harassed at work by another employee, if the employer has not taken all possible steps to prevent it from happening," the commission said.

"We have set up a confidential email hotline for those affected. Anyone who is concerned about incidents of harassment in McDonald’s can report it to mcdonalds@equalityhumanrights.com"

Additional reporting by August Graham, PA business reporter.