Cheesemakers stunned as fraudsters make off with 22 tonnes of cheddar
Nearly £300,000 of cheese - 950 wheels of cheddar - was stolen from Neal's Yard Dairy, ITV News' Graham Stothard reports
More than £300,000 worth of premium cheddar, weighing upwards of 22 tonnes, has been stolen from a retailer in London.
Neal's Yard Dairy shared the news on Friday saying they had lost 950 wheels of three different cheeses, Hafod, Westcombe, and Pitchfork Cheddar, due to fraud.
The three cheeses are all some of the most premium in the UK and have won numerous awards.
They said they informed the authorities once they discovered the fraud but they had still suffered a significant financial blow.
Despite this, the retailer said it had still honoured all of its commitments to the three small-scale suppliers who had been at the centre of the fraud.
They said the fraudsters claimed to be wholesale distributors for a major French retailer.
Subscribe free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning.
The dairy company's managing director, Sarah Stewart, said she felt "shocked" when she realised they had been defrauded.
"I felt sick to my stomach," she told ITV News.
She continued that she felt "angry" it had happened, but also "embarrassed because we feel like we are sensible people, and we got scammed."
In a Facebook post, Neal's Yard sent a message to "our esteemed community of cheesemongers around the world" urging them to be on the lookout for cheeses that could have been part of the theft.
They said "if anyone is offered or receives cheeses they believe may have been associated with this theft, particularly clothbound Cheddars in a 10kg or 24kg format with the tags detached" should get in touch them with.
The Met Police said in a statement: "On Monday, 21 October we received a report of the theft of a large quantity of cheese from a manufacturer based in Southwark."
“Enquiries are ongoing into the circumstances.”Police said no arrests have been made related to the alleged theft.
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know…