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‘Serial dine and dash’ family-of-8 ‘caught on camera doing runners at MORE restaurants’ – and are feared to have hit 7
Footage shows how the family's scheme allegedly enfolded
A SERIAL 'dine and dash' family may have struck at least SEVEN restaurants - running out on bills for luxury slap-up meals worth more than £1,000, it is claimed.
The family-of-eight were shamed by the Bella Ciao Italian in Port Talbot near Swansea this week after they allegedly left without paying for £329 worth of grub.
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And now three other restaurants have gone public with their warning about the family with police believed to have been alerted by at least seven.
The family could face up to two years prison for theft from the series of alleged rogue restaurant eat-outs so far over the last eight months.
It is lead by a middle-aged couple who even took a toddler in a baby chair on the latest runner.
The Yard in Cowbridge, River House in Swansea and La Casone in Skewen have gone public with appeals for restaurants to beware.
Bella Ciao claims that a woman who was part of the group had tried to pay with a savings account card which got declined twice.
Do you know the family or has something similar happened to your restaurant? Email [email protected]
They say she said her son would wait inside while she went out to get her other card - but she did not return and her son did a "runner."
Manager Tyrone Reese of the family-run business said they reported it to the police and added: "They were ordering the most expensive things on the menu, like T-bone steaks and the like."
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The restaurant posted the dine and dash video onto Bella Ciao's social media pages which went viral and received over 12 million views.
After sharing the clip, other restaurants have also come forward to say they believe the couple have targeted them.
La Casona in Skewen, over six miles from Swansea, is one of the many restaurants that claim the group also targeted them in February and left without paying a bill that was almost £300.
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The Mediterranean restaurant said: "After the meal, four people have already left our restaurant. One lady stayed with a young boy to 'pay'. The woman tried to pay with a card which was declined.
"She said she would get another card from the car. We asked the boy to stay and wait for her in the restaurant.
"She left, and 10 seconds after, the boy started to run to the car. We called the police as soon as it happened.
"The police responded that this was not an emergency and that we could only report them, which we did."
The Yard in Cowbridge says that a similar incident also happened there in March with a bill for £151 going unpaid.
Owner Paul Langford claimed: "We reported it to the police. [A woman] was pleasant throughout the meal. They asked for steak too. We do not do steak and thank goodness!
DINE-AND-DASH LAW EXPLAINED
If a customer or group 'dine-and-dash', they could be charged under section 3 of the 1978 Theft Act.
This deals with people who eat out and leave without paying.
It is considered theft if there is a failure to pay when it is known that payment is required for goods or services.
The offence can carry a prison sentence of up to two years
"When it came to pay the family left save for [the woman]. She tried using the bank card which was declined twice then said she was going to a cash machine a few doors down then ran away.
"We have been open since 2017 and this is the first and only time that it happened to us. We were just in shock and we have heard from around seven other restaurants in south Wales of a similar thing happening."
Last summer, the River House Lounge & Restaurant in Swansea also posted CCTV images of the same family members onto its social media page after they say they ran up a "hefty bill" and did the same dine and dash act.
In August they posted a CCTV image of the father and mother and wrote: "Thank you so much to everyone for sharing. 12 positive identifications and the Police are now dealing with the information we have been given.
"Please SHARE to help identify these. They run up a very hefty bill (for 5) and 'promised' to get cash from the local cash point after their card got declined.
"We like to put some trust in people, but this was obviously carefully planned as they all just disappeared!"
In total of the three restaurants allegedly targeted this year, the group are said to have skipped out on bills worth nearly £800 along with the large bill from last year.
Other restaurants believed to have been hit with the scam include Chili Too in Swansea, La Casona in Heath, The Somerset Arms in Port Talbot and The Longbow Beefeater in Gwaun Elai.
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Leaving a restaurant without paying is a crime and carries a prison sentence of up to two years.
South Wales Police said: "Investigations are ongoing to establish the full circumstances behind the incidents and to identify those involved."
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