Swedish £6,000 dine and dash investigation reopened

A dine and dash investigation in Sweden over an 82,000 kronor (£6,300; $8,000) meal on Christmas Day will be reopened after it was dropped by police.

A party of 35 reportedly ate and drank their way through the dinner at Atmosfär, a restaurant in the southern city of Malmö, on Christmas Day.

They then allegedly left without paying.

Police closed an initial investigation into the case on Monday but it was reopened by prosecutors on Wednesday.

Over the evening on 25 December, the group ordered around £1,900 worth of food and £4,400 worth of drinks, a copy of their bill obtained by Swedish newspaper Sydsvenskan showed.

The party then reportedly left in a number of taxis without paying.

Police were first alerted to the suspected fraud at 23:00 local time on Christmas Day and officers located and stopped several vehicles in different parts of the city, the newspaper reported.

One taxi carrying four people - a man, 45, a 35-year-old woman, and two children - was stopped.

The case, which has attracted significant public and media attention in Sweden, was subject to a preliminary investigation by Malmö police.

Police said Atmosfär had sent an invoice to the person who made the reservation, which included late payment interest of 10%.

The invoice has not yet been paid, but officers said it was up to the restaurant to take the matter further with a debt collection company.

On Wednesday, prosecutor Henrik Nordquist told Sydsvenskan that while he respected the police's decision, he had made a different assessment.

He said the case was reopened because of major public interest.

Atmosfär is described by the Michelin Guide as a "formal yet relaxed eatery" and boasts an extensive wine list while serving traditional dishes from Scania, Sweden's southernmost region.