Rescue teams break in after staff had locked up for the night

AS the famous music hall song proclaimed: Oh dear! What can the matter be?…”

And the song that describes how ‘…three old ladies were stuck in a lavatory’ was the refrain sung by staff at a restaurant in Camden Town on Wednesday when a customer at a found themselves locked in for the night after visiting the customers’ toilets.

The diner, who has not been identified, was enjoying a late evening Italian meal at Pizza Express in Parkway.

They decidde to use the bathroom and while away attending to their business and away from their seat, waiting staff thought their shift was finished and proceeded to lock up.

The restaurant closed at 10.30pm and the customer soon discovered their predicament and after realising it was either settle down for the night or call for help, they swallowed their embarrassment.

Blue light services arrived just before 11pm.

One Pizza Express staff member told the New Journal: “It was really weird. We are investigating how it could have happened – our staff rigorously checked everywhere before we closed up – so it is a real mystery.”

There are no signs that the customer had broken in after the pizza chain had shut up shop for the night, and staff say the person had been eating there.

Eyewitness Henry Conlon, who runs the Dublin Castle pub opposite, was woken up at 3am to hear emergency services smashing their way to break the pizza lover out.

He said, despite the disturbances,he saw the funny side of it, adding: “I thought: dough my god! He kneaded his freedom and it was a pizza cake for the emergency services. He said it was love at first slice and he felt grate when his rescuers arrived.”