Two Brits arrested for ‘trying to flee Spanish bar after running up £2,000 champagne bill’

Two British men have been arrested after allegedly trying to make a run from a Spanish bar where they had run up a champagne bill of nearly £2,000.

Police sources cited by Spanish media said the men, aged 49 and 52, shouted ‘We’re millionaires’ before offering to invite other revellers including several pretty women to around 90 glasses of champagne and telling staff they would pay.

They are said to have tried to leave the nightspot, named as Commo in Madrid, around 3am yesterday morning without settling a €2,200 (£1,930) drinks bill they owed.

Bar staff are understood to have let them rack up the large bill because they had previously settled an earlier bill for €1,000 (£880).

Police were called after the men allegedly refused to hand over any more cash and ‘began to show a violent attitude’ and they were arrested on suspicion of committing fraud.

Two British men have been arrested after allegedly trying to make a run from Spanish bar Commo (pictured) where they had run up a champagne bill of nearly £2,000

It was not immediately clear on Thursday if the outstanding drinks bill has now been settled and whether the men, initially described as pensioners aged 71 and 73, have appeared in court.

Local media are speculating the Brits may have been Liverpool supporters who had travelled to the Spanish capital for the Premier League side’s Champions League match against Real Madrid last night.

Jurgen Klopp’s men lost 1-0 in a lacklustre performance after failing to overturn a shock 5-2 home defeat in the first leg at Anfield.

Commo, in Madrid’s Sol neighbourhood in the city centre, is described online as a ‘buzzy bar serving shots, house cocktails and jugs of sangria.’

Its website boasts it has 600 shots on offer, including blended whisky shots at €3 (£2.65)

The bar, which is sometimes described as a disco because of its DJ sets although it is generally referred to as a place to party before going onto a nightclub, markets VIP stag do tickets for €49 (£43).

One Tripadvisor write-up says: ‘You can’t leave Madrid without a visit. A great place with a good vibe and the staff are great.’

Another visitor from the UK added: ‘I love the place. I come from London and I’ll be back. I recommend it. The waitress called Sandra is excellent.’

Local media are speculating the Brits may have been Liverpool supporters who had travelled to the Spanish capital to watch their side face Real Madrid

A spokesman for the National Police in Madrid confirmed the arrests of two British men. They said: ‘Officers arrested two British men aged 52 and 49 after being called to a bar in Madrid’s Sol area they were allegedly trying to leave without paying.

‘They were telling bar staff not to worry because they were millionaires and insisting they would come back later to pay the bill.

‘They had paid an initial bill of around €1,000 but had not paid a second bill of about €2,200.

‘It appears they had invited other people in the bar to drinks and especially other women. The drinks that had been consumed but not paid for were a variety of drinks but did include around 90 glasses of champagne.

‘The men in question even allegedly started to become a bit violent in their attitude towards the bar staff when they were told they couldn’t leave without paying.

‘They were arrested on suspicion of fraud and handed over to the courts on Wednesday to decide what further action should be taken.’

The late-night bar where the arrests occurred was closed this morning and no-one could be reached for comment.

Police sources said they were unable to confirm whether the two men held had travelled to the Spanish capital to watch Liverpool’s Champions League match against Real Madrid on Wednesday night, as Spanish media have speculated.