SHAMED diners have settled an outstanding restaurant bill after making their getaway in a taxi without paying for their meals.

Readers inundated police, naming the suspects wanted for the crime at Baci restaurant in Arthur Lane, Harwood, after CCTV pictures of the people were published in The Bolton News.

Police issued images of three of the four people who left the restaurant on Saturday, February 22, at about 10.45pm without paying the £120 they owed for their meals and drinks.

A waiter ran after the diners as he saw them leave in a taxi but the vehicle failed to stop despite the restaurant worker banging on a window.

But later a neighbour of one of the culprits challenged them about the unpaid bill after reading about it in The Bolton News and one of the men gave him money to repay Baci — before they had been spoken to by police.

The two men and two women will now be dealt with by restorative justice — dubbed as the “common sense” approach to low level crime in which those responsible are faced with a fitting resolution with the support of the victim.

A Baci spokesman said: “We have had people not pay for the bills a few times in the last six months — other people in the industry have said the same.

“I hope people will now know that police do take it seriously when bills are not paid.

"We didn’t want the people to be punished, we just wanted them to pay the bill. Now it has been paid. Enough is enough.”

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The restaurant thanked people for coming forward to help the local business.

Det Insp Charlotte Cadden, from Bolton North Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “Thanks to readers of The Bolton News we have identified the people who made off from Baci restaurant without paying the £120 bill.

“The information flooded in from the public at the cheek of these two couples — who also saw themselves in The Bolton News article.

“We have used restorative justice to resolve the issues and the bill was paid before we even visited the people involved.”