London, Dec 4 (IANS): A lesbian couple in a London restaurant was asked to desist by a staff member, who asked them to "stop what you are doing".

Lydia Cawson, 29, said that she and her girlfriend were asked by a staff member at Southbank’s Canteen eatery to "stop what you are doing please, this is a family restaurant", The Independent reported.

Cawson said that her partner became upset after a stressful week and she was consoling her, sitting beside her and giving her a "light peck on the lips".

"We were really shocked by this challenge because we didn’t feel like we were being overly affectionate," Cawson said.

"I didn’t notice any adverse reaction in the restaurant myself," she said.

"It was just a simple loving reaction," she added.

Although the restaurant has now apologised for any "issues" arising from the incident, and said it would investigate what happened, the incident comes amid a new report that shows rising levels of hate crimes across London.

According to the Metropolitan Police, crimes targeting the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender) community have risen to as many as 100 cases a month, with a monthly increase of 21.5 percent since March 2014.