RESTAURANT owners in Colchester have disputed claims they owe a website and marketing firm thousands of pounds of in unpaid invoices.

Mirra, in High Street, has been accused of failing to settle a £5,523 debt with The Universal Group for an array of online and digital services.

It comes after customers encountered an automated pop-up on the Turkish eatery’s website claiming the account has “multiple invoices overdue”.

The Universal Group says the restaurant has reportedly owed them money for 427 days, but Mirra claims the firm did not come good on the product they were promised.

Gazette: Restaurant - Mirra, in High Street, Colchester, has disputed the claims Restaurant - Mirra, in High Street, Colchester, has disputed the claims (Image: Newsquest)
Gazette: Food - An example of some of the dishes available at Mirra, in High Street, ColchesterFood - An example of some of the dishes available at Mirra, in High Street, Colchester (Image: Newsquest)
A spokesman for Universal Web Design, part of the Colchester-based Universal Group, said: “Mirra has promised, yet failed, to make payment since November 2022.

“They have cited their bank account being frozen as their excuse for non-payment yet their restaurant accepts payments very easily.

“Universal Web Design created a beautiful website for their restaurant and later a custom coded online booking form with a deposit payment processing system.

“Without payment for nearly two years, the interest, late payment penalties and legal fees could see this debt soar over £7,000.

“Universal Web Design has bank-rolled the Mirra restaurant for almost 500 days now. This is simply unacceptable.”

Gazette: Claim - The pop-up which appears on the Mirra website when customers attempt to access the site Claim - The pop-up which appears on the Mirra website when customers attempt to access the site (Image: Newsquest)
Mirra owners, however, have now strongly denied the claims.

A spokesman for the restaurant said: “We filled out cancellation forms but it got to the point where we had to cancel the direct debit ourselves.

“They have since locked us out of our own website as if they own it.

“UWD also continue to state we haven’t made a payment since November 2022, but we paid a fee approaching £1,000 a few months ago.

“We urge any customers to book over the phone. We greatly appreciate the support of our fantastic diners who visit week in and week out while we get this issue sorted.”