PEOPLE are being warned to be wary of cheap meat being sold at markets and car boot sales following a £15,000 theft.

The meat – beef, pork, lamb, chicken and other poultry, gammon steaks, bacon and sausages – was stolen in two recent raids on lorries in north Worcestershire and police believe it may turn up for sale in Worcester.

West Mercia Consta-bulary’s crime risk manager PC Stan Baker said: “It’s likely that in the run-up to Christmas this meat will be off-loaded on to the black market and may find its way into markets, car boot sales and the like.

“I would urge people to be very careful and think twice about buying meat from such outlets. If it has not been stored correctly after removal from the refrigerated units it was kept in it could pose a serious health risk to anyone eating it.”

Nearly £7,000 of beef was stolen from a Scandia lorry parked in Heming Road on the Washford Industrial Estate in Redditch between 10pm on Monday, Novem-ber 17, and 7am on Tuesday, November 18.

More than £8,000 of meat was also stolen, together with a refrigerated 7.5 tonne meat auction truck, from a compound at the Houndsfield Lane Industrial Estate in Wythall, near Redditch, between 5pm on Wednesday, November 19, and 4.30am on Thursday, November 20. The white truck, registration R87 6SFC, had Cleobury Meats written on its sides.

Anyone with information should call West Mercia police on 0300 3333000 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.