Police were called to a curry house after a waiter gave a 13-year-old girl in school uniform his phone number – in front of her dad.
Matthew Lengthorn, 33, visited his favourite curry house for a meal with his daughter Paige.
But while she was at a chocolate fountain a waiter approached her and after a brief conversation she returned to the table.
The waiter then walked over to where they were sitting and in front of her stunned dad offered Paige his email address and phone number.
Outraged Matthew called police who arrived and gave the waiter a ”talking to” at the Aroma restaurant in Basildon, Essex.
Matthew, of Basildon, said: “Paige was still wearing her school uniform, and even though she may look a bit older, it was clear she was a schoolgirl.
“He must have known she was here with her parents, but he seemed to wait until she was on her own getting some food at the buffet before giving her his email and telling her to contact him.
“The police came and spoke to the waiter and gave him a warning. There are quite a few families who will take their children in there. We definitely won’t be going back.”
Raymond Cheng, who manages the Aroma restaurant, blamed it on a ”misunderstanding”.
He said: “This was a misunderstanding and I gave all staff a strong warning after it happened.
“I told them never to swap any personal details with customers, no matter what age they are.
“The waiter gave the girl a fake email address but that was misguided and he has been told he shouldn’t have done it.
“He said the girl kept asking for his email address so that is why he gave her a fake one. He was in the wrong and knows it shouldn’t have happened.”
A spokesman for Essex Police confirmed they were called to the restaurant and spoke to a waiter.
He said: ”Police were called to the restaurant at about 8pm and spoke to this man who was very upset that the waiter had given his teenage girl his phone number.
“But it was established that she asked for his Facebook details while at the chocolate fountain and he brought it to her at the table in front of her father – he thought the girl was 17.
“He was given a talking to by the officer, but he closed the incident and there was no further action.”
