The landlord of a Clayton-le-Moors pub said he is "truly grateful" after a random act of kindness following a 'dine and dash' last month.
A customer left The Albion, in Whalley Road, without paying in March, sparking an appeal and police investigation.
Once all the drinks had been prepared, they "offered excuses" before leaving without paying the £53 bill.
A spokesperson for the pub said multiple drinks were also wasted.
After reading the Lancashire Telegraph's article about the theft, Hyndburn councillor David Heap said he was "disgusted" by the incident.
He has since paid the outstanding bill out of his own pocket.
He said: "I read the story in the paper and I was disgusted by what had happened.
"Local businesses are really struggling in the current climate, especially our local pubs, so I reached out to the landlord and got regular updates on the police enquiry.
"After two to three weeks had passed, nothing seemed to be progressing, so I started thinking, 'What can I do?'
"I'm a firm believer in actions, not words. If you can help, you should.
"So I informed the landlord that I'd bob in and pay the bill myself.
"I did this because it makes a difference, it shows there is still kindness in the world, not all people in politics are the same."
A spokesperson for the pub said they are "truly grateful" for the random act of kindness.
They said: "As a proud community pub, we put out our story of the lovely customer who ordered his drinks at the bar and refused to pay to warn other local businesses of the incident.
"Cllr David Heap contacted landlord Daniel Bowerbank to ask if anything had been done about this.
"A crime reference and log number along with CCTV has been provided to the police for their next steps, but after a conversation, Cllr Heap said that the pub industry is tough present and with the work we do, he would be willing to pay this.
"We are truly grateful, as we are all staff here, no matter the role, and no staff should be out of pocket for someone else's arrogance."
Read more
Lancashire Police confirmed that the incident is still under investigation and no arrests have been made.
A police spokesperson said: "This has been reported to us and it's being investigated.
"Anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting log reference LC-20260326-0591."
Share