David Lammy has denied claims he refused to pay an almost £600 taxi fare when he was dropped off at a ski resort. French prosecutors are investigating allegations that the Foreign Secretary refused to pay when he and his artist wife, Nicola Green, were dropped off at the Flaine ski resort in the Haute Savoie. The couple has vehemently deny any wrongdoing, insisting that the “fare was paid in full” and have accused the driver for speeding off with Ms Green’s luggage. When it was returned money was allegedly missing for her bags. France's La Provence newspaper reported that Mr Lammy and his wife were picked up by the Italian driver in Forli, near Bologna, on April 10. The couple had just spent three days in Italy on a state visit with King Charles and Queen Camilla. The bill for the 360-mile, six hour trip was £1,305. Some £717 had been covered by the transfer service used to book the car, leaving a £588 bill left to be paid. The anonymous driver told La Provence: “On the night of April 10-11, I was the victim of assault and violence by members of a British embassy during an international transfer, where they refused to pay. "GetTransfer, who used my services, was supposed to pay me the difference, €850. “They stopped the payment. And on the spot, the customer snatched the receipt from my hands.” The driver claimed that Mr Lammy “took the receipt from my hand” when he told his passengers they had to pay €700 (£588) out of a €1,550 (£1,305) total fare. When Mr Lammy and his wife allegedly refused to pay, the driver said he left them at their destination and made a complaint to local police. Officers then allegedly found two diplomatic passports and two licence plates, as well as a coded briefcase, in the boot of the taxi, allowing them to identify Mr Lammy and his wife as the passengers. The driver filed a formal complaint, leading the local prosecutor's office to open an investigation. Bonneville prosecutor Boris Duffau confirmed the legal complaint against Mr Lammy and his wife, and that the couple had countersued for the theft of their luggage. Mr Duffau said: “The stories between the two parties are not the same. Of course, the passengers are not saying the same thing as the driver when he filed a complaint. “The passengers have assured that the driver had already been paid. The driver said the opposite.” The unnamed driver is due to appear in court on November 3 over charges of “fraudulently removing luggage and cash” after he drove off with Mr Lammy's belongings. In addition to filing a complaint with local authorities, the driver also complained to the British Embassy in Paris. A Foreign Office spokesman told the Standard: “We totally refute these allegations. The fare was paid in full. “The Foreign Secretary and his wife are named as victims in this matter and the driver has been charged with theft. “As there is an ongoing legal process, it would be inappropriate to comment further.”