AN ITALIAN restaurant on Weymouth seafront is doing its bit to support the victims of the devastating earthquake that has killed nearly 300 people.

At least 290 people were killed in the quake that rocked the historic town of Amatrice in Italy and the surrounding area.

The relief effort is continuing and Al Molo restaurant at the old Pier Bandstand in Weymouth is getting behind it.

Throughout this week the venue will be offering a pasta dish called all'amatriciana, which hails from the region devastated by the 6.2 magnitude earthquake.

Every time the dish is ordered, the restaurant will donated £1.40 to the British Red Cross to support the relief effort in Italy.

Al Molo's head chef Giuseppe Vannucci said that he wanted to do something to support the victims of the earthquake and heard that Jamie Oliver was doing something similar at his restaurants.

He said that all'amatriciana was a very traditional dish that was not normally offered on his menu but he was looking forward to serving it up for a good cause.

Giuseppe said that, while he was keen to cook the dish for his customers as a tribute to the people of the earthquake-hit region, he would also gratefully receive any other offers of support to boost their fundraising efforts for the Red Cross.

He said: "If someone doesn't want to have the dish they can still come in here and donate some money,"

Giuseppe said that the all'amatriciana recipe found in the UK varied slightly to the very traditional one that originated in Italy and includes pork belly, tomatoe sauce, red wine and a touch of chilli with a special kind of pasta for the dish.

The dish will be on the menu all week until Sunday and Giuseppe says he is looking forward to going through the bills at the end of the week to see how much has been raised for the cause.

Italy has been in mourning for the victims of the earthquake and efforts continue to support the thousands left homeless as their houses were destroyed.