When a mother and her young son, aged 5, walked into a Starbucks in Lancaster, California for a bathroom break, no-one could have predicted what they’d find hidden away in there.

But, as the woman, who has not been identified at her own request explained to KTL5 News:

I noticed he (her son) was staring at the sink a little bit perplexed. I asked him what was wrong and he said, ‘Mommy, why is there a phone under there?’

A closer look at the sink revealed a hidden camera, which, according to cops had been recording video, that had been propped up using paper towels.

Responding to news of the discovery, Jaime Riley, a spokeswoman for the chain said:

We’re obviously really disturbed by the incident. We take our obligation to provide a safe environment very seriously both for customers and our own partners who work in our store.

She went onto say that individuals who work for the chain are trained to check bathrooms for phones, cameras and other devices, but admitted that sometimes, errors are made, adding:

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen it, but I wouldn’t call it common.

Have you ever made any unusual discoveries in stores?  Ever found yourself being filmed without being aware? Join the discussion in the comments!