Man arrested after £300k worth of cheese stolen

Police investigating the theft of 22 tonnes of cheese have arrested a 63-year-old man on suspicion of fraud and handling stolen goods.

It follows the theft at Neal's Yard Dairy in Southwark, south London, last week.

Company bosses said the firm had lost clothbound Cheddar worth more than £300,000 after it was conned by a fraudulent buyer posing as a legitimate wholesale distributor for a major French retailer.

Neal's Yard Dairy added it only discovered the person's identity was fake after a total of 950 cheeses were delivered.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said on Thursday that investigating officers arrested a man on suspicion of fraud by false representation and handling stolen goods.

It said the 63-year-old was then "taken to a south London police station where he was questioned".

The force added the man "has since been bailed pending further inquiries".

Neal's Yard Dairy said the three types of artisan cheeses stolen were Hafod Welsh Organic Cheddar, Westcombe Cheddar, and Pitchfork Cheddar.

It added the cheeses "have won numerous awards and are amongst the most sought-after artisan cheeses in the UK", and suggested their "high monetary value" made them "a particular target for the thieves".

Despite what it described as a "significant financial blow", Neal's Yard Dairy said it had honoured its commitment to its small-scale suppliers and had already paid the three artisan cheesemakers in full.

Two days after the theft became public, the firm thanked supporters for their messages and visits to its stores, and said: "We are truly touched that so many people in the artisan cheese community and beyond are standing with us."

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Meanwhile, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver urged followers to be on alert for "lorryloads of very posh cheese" being sold "for cheap".

He noted on Instagram that the amount of Cheddar stolen equaled the entire annual production of Hafod cheese, "potentially creating a significant gap in the artisanal cheese market".

Westcombe Dairy's Tom Calver also shared a video showing the inside of the dairy, pointing to the empty shelves behind him to show how much cheese had been stolen.

"I feel a bit strange about it, actually," Mr Calver said on Instagram. "Out of all the stuff to steal. Cheddar.

"It almost feels like an honour that it has got such value."

He said Westcombe Cheddar was aged for 12 to 18 months, and that the stolen cheese was produced 15 months ago.

"What worries me is the trust element in things," he said. "At the end of the day, what we need to have is more trust in the food supply system, rather than less of it.

"I hope more people will want to know where their food comes from."

(c) Sky News 2024: Man arrested after £300k worth of cheese stolen