Strensham: Lorry carrying £50,000 of cheese stolen from M5 services | UK News

A £50,000 haul of cheeses stolen from a motorway service station could be destined for the Christmas black market, police say.

Thieves made off with a lorry full of assorted cheeses from the Strensham services on the M5 in Worcestershire last Friday.

Detectives have warned businesses to be ‘on their guard’ for a surge in cargo thefts as the festive season approaches.

A rise in such incidents has been linked to a small number of gangs who see these thefts as a ‘low-risk, high reward’ enterprise, according to West Mercia Police.

The cost-of-living crisis has also fuelled higher demand for black market goods, the force added.

The great Strensham cheese heist followed the theft of another lorry containing household goods including food and washing powder a week earlier.

An estimated £1.35 million worth of cargo has been stolen from just four West Midlands service stations in the past few years alone.

Detective Sergeant Andrew Farmer said: ‘The majority of these thefts are linked to an organised crime gang in West Yorkshire that has been operating for decades as well as ones in the West Midlands and Merseyside.

‘We recognise there is an increased demand for black market goods, perhaps because of inflation rises and the cost-of-living crisis but items that have literally ‘fell off the back of a lorry’ are of course illegal and acquiring them this way simply fuels more freight crime.;

Police say cargo thefts affected ordinary shoppers by forcing stores to up their prices.

Detective Constable Dan Griffiths added: ‘There’s a reputational impact on large carriers too if their lorries are getting raided as they will lose custom, as well as insurance premiums go up and stock missing from our supermarket shelves, so any additional costs in the chain will eventually get passed on to the customer.’

The National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service is calling for a UK-wide ‘secure truck parking standard’ to boost security at lorry parking sites.

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