Diner's row about an overcooked steak became so heated the pub landlady called police who arrived in a RIOT VAN

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Nicola Kendal, 42, claims a police riot van turned up at the pub in Gloucestershire after staff pressed a panic button in response to the row over the steak

A pub diner said a dispute around an overcooked steak became so heated the landlady called in the police - who turned up in a riot van.

Nicola Kendal, 42, claims the row broke out at the White Hart Inn in Gloucestershire after the medium 16oz T-bone steak she ordered came out 'very well done and tough'.

Ms Kendal, a receptionist, said she complained to staff and told them she wouldn't be paying, but an argument started after she was charged £10 on the bill for the £18.95 meal.

The mother-of-two, who was dining with her partner, two friends and their child, said she was threatened with arrest if she did not pay up and that a police riot van then arrived at the eatery after staff pressed a hidden 'panic button'.

But landlady Joanne Keane said it was the customer who was being 'lairy and aggressive' and she was not able to control the situation without calling the police to help.

Ms Kendal, of Frampton Cotterell, Gloucestershire, said: 'I had ordered a medium steak and when it came out I thought it was very well-done, overcooked and tough.

'A few minutes later I said to the waiter that I wasn't happy with the meal and the landlady came over and was rude and aggressive.'

She was offered a fresh steak in exchange but says she refused it because she did not want to be eating after her friends had finished.

'Then the bill came and I saw that she had charged me £10 for the steak,' she said.

Joanne Keane, landlady at the White Hart Inn, pictured, said she had to call the police because she could not control the situation and that it was the first time she had to call the force in her five years at the pub

'We paid the rest of the bill, but I went over to her and said, "I'm sorry, but I am not paying anything for my meal".

'It went back and forth for a bit, and all of a sudden her partner said "I've pressed the button, no one is leaving until the police arrive".

'By this point I was scared and crying. I just couldn't understand what was happening.'

The pub was placed into lockdown and Ms Kendal said two police cars and a riot van arrived at the pub.

Ms Kendal said she was threatened with arrest if she did not pay the outstanding £9.99.

She said: 'I was just so shaken by it at this point. I eventually paid the money so I could just get out of there.

Ms Kendal said she eventually paid for her steak because she was 'scared and crying' and 'threatened with arrest' if she did not cough up the £10 she had been charged for the £19.99 meal (file picture)

'My partner and my friends were horrified and gobsmacked by the situation.

'The landlady didn't say outright that I was barred, but suffice to say I won't be going back.'

She added: 'I feel totally humiliated and embarrassed because the police were called for the sake of £10.'

The publican insisted Ms Kendal was 'lairy and aggressive' during the row and she had a sense she would complain when she arrived.

Ms Keane said: 'She was rude to my young staff and we called the police because it was a situation I couldn't control.

'We have been in the pub for five years and this is the first time I have had to call the police in. I have never had someone go off the boil like that.'

Police confirmed a car and a 'response van' attended the pub after staff complained customers were 'acting aggressively' but the officers in the larger vehicle stayed outside.

A spokesman for Avon and Somerset police said: 'We called the keyholder of the pub who informed us that customers were acting aggressively.

'We respond to incidents proportionately based on the information we receive and so the incident was graded as one requiring an immediate response.

'We didn't know how many customers were involved or what threat they posed. We sent two vehicles to assess and deal with the issue.

'Three officers in a marked response car arrived first and found a man acting aggressively.

'After speaking to him, officers quickly established no criminal offences had been committed so no further action was required.

'As a result, when two officers in a response van arrived, they remained outside.

'The non-payment of a bill is a civil matter and not something which requires police involvement.

'As no offences were committed no arrests were made. The officers left shortly after 10pm.'

Pub owners Greene King defended Ms Keane's decision to call police. 

A spokesman said: 'We are a family-friendly country pub and pride ourselves on our welcoming atmosphere and staff that is enjoyed by many people on a daily basis.

'We fully respect our customer's rights to complain if they feel their food is not to the quality they expect, however aggressive behaviour towards team members in our pubs should not have to be tolerated.

'Unfortunately on this occasion, despite an offer for another steak to be cooked and a discount, the customer refused to pay and continued to be aggressive and rude to team members.

'A decision was made to contact the police as the manager felt it was the only way to resolve the situation.'