Two hungry diners have been banned for life from an all-you-can-eat restaurant – for scoffing too much food.

George Dalmon and Andy Miles were told never to come back to Gobi in Middle Street, Brighton, after wolfing down five stir-fry bowls each during a marathon munching session.

The restaurant’s manager angrily accused the pair of “eating him out of business” and claimed they had “destroyed” the buffet station in a frantic rush to gobble everything on the menu.

But ex-rugby player Mr Dalmon, 26, said Gobi should stick to its promise and allow people to eat as much as they want.

He said: “They’ve only got small bowls and you can’t get enough in there so we always go back for more. It’s an all-you-can-eat place so we love it.

“We’ve been eating there for a couple of years but suddenly the owner came to our table in front of all the customers and went absolutely mental. He told us we were eating him out of business and said we were a couple of pigs. I asked him if he was joking but he told us we were banned for life. I couldn’t believe it.”

On its website, the restaurant promises customers they can create their “own individual meal – and eat all you like”.

But Gobi’s manager, who did not wish to be named, admitted he had told the “greedy” pair never to come back and said Tuesday night had been “the final straw”.

He said: “Basically they just come in and pig out. We have put up with them for two years but I’ve had enough.

“They spoil everything and they are in such a hurry to beat everyone to the food. We are supposed to be a buffet but they eat everything out of the bowls before people can get there.

“We just can’t keep doing this.”

The manager complained the pair would only ever drink water rather than ordering drinks and claimed they would never pay the optional service charge.

He said: “We are not a charity. We are a business. It’s our restaurant and we can tell people not to come back if we don’t want them to.”