A builder who enjoyed a boozy 10-hour drinking session and fish and chips before trying to flee a hotel without paying his bill has been jailed.

Would-be ‘dine and dasher’ Anthony Lamont attempted to run off without settling his £95 tab after knocking back nine pints and three double vodkas at The Royal in Deal.

Remarkably, the 43-year-old had avoided prison just five days before for an “identical” offence at an Italian restaurant in Rochester.

On that occasion, he ran up a £100 bill as he washed down a seafood linguine with Jack Daniels before telling staff at Don Vincenzo he had no means of paying.

CCTV footage showed the moment police officers arrived at the Medway restaurant on June 10 to arrest Lamont, who was hauled before magistrates two days later.

He was spared jail, receiving a suspended sentence, but within five days had struck again, targeting The Royal on June 17.

He was arrested and the following day appeared before Folkestone magistrates, where he admitted theft and breaching his suspended sentence.

Neil Sweeney, prosecuting, told the court: “He turned up at The Royal Hotel at about 12.30pm and ordered a bowl of chips and three pints of lager and said someone, his partner, was going to join him.”

Mr Sweeney said Lamont then ordered another six pints of Spitfire, some vodkas and more food.

“He was there until about 10.30pm and there were two bills which came to £95.80, but he said he had no cash to pay and asked staff to let him leave to get some money,” he explained.

“He also waved a card around, which was for a hotel room.”

The court heard Lamont claimed a friend had been staying at the hotel and the bill could be put on his room.

However, when checks were carried out, the hotel had no record of that person having a reservation or ever checking in.

Staff intervened to stop Lamont leaving and the police were called.

Lamont was arrested and later charged with theft, which he admitted when he appeared before Folkestone magistrates the following day.

The court heard he had targeted The Royal while on a suspended sentence for an “identical” “dine and dash” at Don Vincenzo.

Mr Sweeney told the court Lamont had gone into the Italian restaurant on June 10 and told staff someone was joining him.

“He ordered some Jack Daniels and cokes and sat there drinking them,” the prosecutor said.

“Then he was told there was only an hour left to order food from the kitchen, so he ordered some seafood linguine.

“But when it was time to pay the £100 bill, he had no means to pay.

“He told them his girlfriend had his cash card. It’s very much identical.”

On June 12 Lamont appeared before magistrates and admitted the theft at Don Vincenzo. He was ordered to pay the restaurant £100 in compensation and given a 120-day prison sentence, suspended for a year.

But just six days later, he found himself back in the dock for the incident at The Royal, and this time was jailed for 200 days.

Lamont, who had earlier refused legal representation, was asked by Deputy District Judge Nicola Fleck what had led to him committing the offences.

He said: “I work in construction, building work, and I’ve been working in Hertfordshire and Bournemouth, all over, and my cards are missing - my bank cards were stolen.

“I can’t stop them [being used] with the bank as I’ve not got any ID and money keeps going out. I do have a few problems.”

Judge Fleck said it was concerning Lamont had offended within five days of being given a suspended sentence.

She added: “You ordered a lot of food and a lot of drink and just didn’t pay for it.

“The offence you had been given the suspended sentence for was basically identical - you had drink and food and didn’t pay for it.

“You have a long history of dishonesty and committed the other offence within days of that suspended sentence.

“You say your bank cards have gone missing, but it’s really not working is it?

“There is no reason why I shouldn’t activate the suspended sentence, so I am jailing you for 120 days for the breach and I am also jailing you for 80 days for the theft offence, and that will be served consecutively.

“So you are being jailed for 200 days - you’ll serve 100 days.”

Lamont, who told the court he lived in Poole, Dorset, was also ordered to pay The Royal £95.80 in compensation.

The prosecutor said the hotel’s owner had given a victim impact statement in which he said incidents of this sort had a detrimental effect on small businesses.

There have been a number of “dine-and-dash” incidents in the county so far this year.

Last month, the owner of Cafe No.35 in Canterbury told how a family ran up a large bill before leaving without settling it.

In May, CCTV showed how a man at another Canterbury restaurant, Posillipo, dashed off without paying for his three-course meal.

The lone diner had drunk beers and a Pornstar martini while eating lamb chops and crocchette di pesce before fleeing.