We ran out of restaurant without paying for our £56 meal… people hate us for it but we had a good reason to

A COUPLE who ran out of a restaurant without paying for their meal said they had a good reason for doing so after being shamed for being blown around the internet.

Ruby McGrath, 32, and Suzy Hopley, 33, ate a £56 meal with their two children earlier this week at the Smithy Arms in Swinton, North Yorkshire.

3

3

3

However, they left without paying, prompting landlady Lisa McMaster to share CCTV footage of the couple.

In a post on Facebook, she wrote: “How kind of you to come eat and drink and walk for free. Overnight at a campsite nearby.”

But today the couple hit back, saying they were forced to leave because of “an emergency”.

In a since-deleted Instagram post, Ruby wrote: “Normally I would ignore ridiculous online hate but that applies to my kids too.

“I just want to say that we had a lovely meal and excellent service at The Smithy Arms in Swinton last night but unfortunately our visit was cut short and we had to go – poor Frank didn’t even get a chance to have his ice cream – due to a personal emergency.

“Our plan was to call the pub as soon as possible to let them know about the situation and then come back quickly to sort things out the statement.

“When we were camping, upon our return we found that we didn’t have bad reception and had to wait this morning Contact the pub and clarify the statement!

“Anyway, to keep it short: All is well, the bill has been paid and the generous tip.

“There’s no animosity between me and the nice folks at The Smithy Arms, and yet the internet has gone insane.”

Speaking to MailOnline, Ruby went on to explain that there was “a medical issue” in her group.

It comes after another pub told how a family piled up a £215 note before pretending to go smoke a cigarette before hitting a run.

In June the manager of Fisherman’s Arms in Newlyn said Cornwallclaimed that the group drank three courses and several cocktails during the three-hour session before heading out.

She accepted social media to post a clip showing two men and a small child exiting the premises, claiming they were part of the group.

The gastropub employee, named Lucy, claimed that the women in the group left before the men said they would go for a cigarette before returning to pay.

However, she said they never returned to the pub, which is partly owned by England rugby star Jack Nowell.