Irish men accused of holding glass shard to a waiter's throat on lads' holiday in Poland

A group of reportedly drunk Irish men were arrested in Poland following allegations that they held a shard of glass to a waiter's throat in a restaurant during a row over €47 (£42, $56). The six men are alleged to have been eating and drinking alcohol at an unnamed restaurant in the city of Krakow, a popular stag weekend destination, when a dispute with the waiter turned violent.

Police say they attacked the employee because they felt they had been overcharged for their meal at a venue in the city's famous main square, according to a statement provided to The Irish Independent.

A spokesman for Malopolska police said: "It has been established that the men had dinner and drunk some alcohol.

"When the waiter brought the bill they refused to pay for it, claiming the price was too high. They decided to pay only a half of it, that is 200 PLN (€47). Once the waiter demanded the whole sum they became aggressive.

"The men started to break windows, knock over chairs and tables and finally they severely battered the waiter. One of them held a piece of broken glass against the waiter's neck."

The men are reported to have fled the scene when police arrived, but their efforts were to no avail. Four of them were arrested not far from the restaurant while the other two were apprehended at their hotel later in the evening.

"During the checks it has been established that the detained foreigners are nationals of Ireland who arrived in Poland for an excursion. All of them were intoxicated," the spokesman said.

The men have reportedly been released after paying the outstanding €47 and an undisclosed fine after being charged with multiple offences. They are expected to remain at home while their case is processed through the Polish courts "without their presence", according to the spokesman.

In August 2014, a British man was found dead in a Hungarian brothel with his trousers round his ankles while on a stag-do.