A trio of arrests have been made in connection with alleged fraud relating to the Eat Out To Help Out scheme.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) said three men had been arrested on suspicion of fraud linked to the government initiative introduced in August by chancellor Rishi Sunak.

HMRC officers arrested the men – aged 43, 48 and 37 – on Tuesday at their London addresses on suspicion of cheating the public revenue and fraud by false representation.

They have all been questioned and released while investigations continue. Kath Doyle, deputy director of the fraud investigation service at HMRC, said: “The vast majority of businesses will have used Eat Out To Help Out responsibly, but we will not hesitate to act where we suspect abuse of the scheme. This is taxpayers’ money and any claim that proves to be fraudulent limits our ability to support people and deprives public services of essential funding.”