Restaurant customers have been advised to tip in cash after four waiters lost the final stage of a 10-year legal battle for the right to have credit card or cheque tips paid to them on top of their minimum wage, reports The Guardian.

The European court of human rights in Strasbourg ruled that the men's rights were not violated by UK court rulings that tips added to a credit card or cheque payment belonged to the employer and could be counted as past of waiters' basic pay.

The four waiters - one of whom has since died - worked at central London restaurants.

Central London law centre took the case to the high court after it found that non-cash tips were being counted as part of the waiters' minimum wage. The amounts were included as 'additional pay' in wage packets.