Group of young men 'dine and dash' at curry house

A restaurant owner said he shared footage of a "dine and dash" incident to raise awareness of the problem.

A group of young men visited Saffron Indian restaurant in Northampton earlier this month and ordered food worth about £200.

Footage showed them quickly leaving as soon as staff had returned to the kitchen.

Owner Naz Islam said people failing to pay was a growing problem: "This is happening up and down the country, this is the reason we put the video on our social media page.

"I've spoken to friends and colleagues in London and Cambridge and they've said they've had customers not paying and just walk out."

Mr Islam said it happened on a Monday evening and represented 30-40% of the day's takings but insisted he just wanted an apology from the men rather than a prosecution.

Tony Sophoclides from trade body UK Hospitality said incidents of dine and dash were "certainly on the up".

"It really is just unacceptable and let's call it what it is; a crime," he added.

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