McDonalds has been made to cough up more than £200,000 after one of their employees suffered life-changing injuries at work.

Representatives of McDonalds, including Vice President of South UK Operations, Jon Betts, appeared at Basildon Crown Court after pleading guilty to two breaches of health and safety.

Thurrock Council took McDonalds to court after one of their employees suffered a fractured knee when he was hit by a car directing traffic.

Danny Osborne, 21, worked at the Lakeside branch of McDonalds on Cygnet View, between 2013 and 2014.

The court heard how Mr Osborne, who was only 17 at the time, was asked by his shift manager, Saad, to go outside and direct traffic through the drive-thru on April 18, 2014.

Due to the complicated layout of the McDonalds, employees were tasked to direct motorists either to the drive-thru or the car park, depending on where they wanted to go.

While performing this task, the court heard how a driver had "become aggressive" and drove into Mr Osborne, which caused his fractured knee.

Despite this fractured knee, Mr Osborne continued to work.

Following the incident, Mr Osborne was on crutches for six weeks and was forced to give up boxing and his dream career in construction.

Reading out a statement in court from Mr Osborne was prosecuting lawyer, Richard Heller.

He said: "This accident has really stopped me from doing all the things, physically, that I wanted to do growing up.

"I was only 17 at the time of the accident so I will have to live with this for the rest of my life."

The court also heard how two other employees had been injured directing traffic at this branch less than a year before Danny had been, although neither incident was as serious.

Mr Heller said: "At no stage had the company contemplated that employees may have been at risk from either an accidental or deliberate collision.

Thurrock Council found that McDonalds in Lakeside had not provided sufficient training for directing traffic.

Sentencing, Recorder Philip Brook-Smith, ordered McDonalds to pay a fine of £200,000 plus £26,343.26 to the prosecution and £1,000 in compensation to Mr Osborne.