Diners left £180 of restaurant bill unpaid

Restaurants are surviving on a "knife-edge", an industry expert says

Nine diners from two families refused to pay £180 of their food and drinks bill and left, an Italian restaurant owner in Wiltshire claims.

One of the customers threatened to "smash" the owner's head through a wall in the fifth dine and dash case at Ciao Eatalia, in Highworth, near Swindon this year.

Chef and co-owner, Fabio Giacalone, said it was having a "terrible" impact on his business.

Police have released CCTV images of people they hope to track down as part of their investigations.

Police have shared CCTV images of people they wish to trace

Mr Giacalone, said the "aggressive" group owed up a "massive" bill, mainly from alcohol orders.

They paid £100 of their £280 bill before leaving the restaurant.

"We had a table of nine coming in - everything seemed alright until the very end," said Mr Giacalone.

"When they were about to pay, they refused to pay the whole bill."

One customer then "threatened to smash" the owner' face through the wall, he said.

"I was really worried, so I called the police.

"Unfortunately they didn't arrive in time.

"The impact was terrible - we had a massive loss of money and the experience was terrible."

There have been nine dine-and-dash cases at the restaurant this year

Chief executive for the Night Time Industry Association Michael Kill said there had been a rise in UK cases because "more people are getting away with it".

"In terms of policing around this, it's very time-consuming, so prosecutions are very difficult," he said.

"At the moment, the big challenge is making an example of people because too many are now starting to get away with it."

More restaurants are now moving towards a pay-first approach, he added.

"Many businesses are operating on a knife-edge at the moment," Mr Kill continued.

"Any lost revenue in terms of food, or in terms of service, is going to impact heavily."

There has been a spike in dine-and-dash cases across the UK

A Wiltshire Police spokesman said: "The group are said to have become increasingly disruptive and abusive towards staff during the evening and paid only £100 of the bill before leaving.

"We are hoping to speak to the people pictured in connection with the incident."