McDonald’s said customers were showing a strong appetite for its new home delivery service as it revealed the service had been rolled out to more than a fifth of UK restaurants.

The fast-food chain said McDelivery – a service offered through the UberEats app – was now available from 270 locations and already accounted for 10% of sales in those sites.

That helped US-based McDonald’s report a global rise of 6% in comparable sales for the third quarter to the end of September.

Growth in its main overseas markets was “led by continued momentum in the UK and Canada”.

McDonald’s began trials of its delivery service in the UK in June and by July was offering them in 160 restaurants. It has also launched a click-and-collect app, now available from 900 sites.

McDonald’s has 1,250 UK outlets employing 115,000 staff.

The chain’s restaurants have been undergoing a multi-million refurbishment and most are now offering a new “gourmet” range of burgers, the company said.

It did not disclose separate UK sales figures though UK chief executive Paul Pomroy said it was the 46th consecutive quarter of sales growth, with July and August both record months.

He added: “This is all the more pleasing against an increasingly competitive market.”

The roll-out of home delivery in the UK comes amid the rise of the likes of Deliveroo and Just Eat.

Industry figures earlier this year showed that the market grew by 10% in 2016, with 599 million visits, compared to a 1% rise in dining out.

Globally, McDonald’s overall third quarter revenues fell 10% to $5.75bn, as it switches more stores from company-owned restaurants to ones owned by franchisees, while net income rose 48% to $1.88bn.

Last month, workers at two McDonald’s restaurants walked out in a row over pay and conditions – the first ever strike to hit the chain in the UK.

-Sky News