Swan Ironbridge assistant manager, Martin Woodgate, left, with manager Brian Jones

Diners at a Shropshire pub were forced to finish their meals and leave after bailiffs turned up and started ripping out fixtures and fittings during lunchtime service, it was today claimed.

Staff and customers at The Swan in Ironbridge were left in shock after bosses at Telford & Wrekin Council allegedly sent the bailiffs round for an unpaid business rates bill, which the pub owners claim was two weeks late.

Today Jenny McGregor, spokesman for Telford & Wrekin Council, said the council had acted in “good faith”.

She said the council had “a statutory responsibility to collect business rates from all taxpayers within the borough on behalf of the Government”.

She added: “The council will investigate any complaints made.”

The pub’s manager Brian Jones said the bailiffs entered the pub on October 18 and told him he had five minutes to pay up.

“The two bailiffs came in at lunchtime, the worst time to come, and said they wanted to be paid or they would start to take things,” said Mr Jones.

“They said they would give me five minutes to pay and while they were waiting they were going to go around and make an itinerary of what was there.

“I called head office to see what was going on but I couldn’t get through to the person I needed to and with that my five minutes were up and they told me they were going to take things.

“They tried to lift the tills out with customers sitting there eating. They took wine out of the fridges and I went to lock the doors, so they went and called a locksmith. They were heavy handed.

“I had to get the staff to explain to people that there was a problem and they were going to have to finish their meals because we were going to have to shut.

“It was embarrassing because I had to explain it was over an unpaid bill.”

Building owner Jon Marsden said he had to pay £12,000 on the spot using his credit card to prevent his property being damaged.

“I was at my wits’ end,” he added. “They had all the wine and they were about to walk out the door and the phone call came through that it was paid.

“If they had walked out with the tills that renders us unable to do anything and 22 people would have been out of work.”

Mr Marsden added: “They were very confrontational, refusing to negotiate, causing much distress to staff, management and customers.”