Empty chocolate wrappers in Ellesmere Port left by unlikely culprit | UK News

Residents subjected to three months of mystery after chocolate bar wrappers started randomly appearing in their town finally have an answer.

The blue riband bar wrappers were first spotted in Dudley Crescent, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, in September, leading people to dub the saga ‘Wafergate’.

Theories and accusations slowly spread on the estate’s WhatsApp group where it was the talk of the community.

It wasn’t until a resident Natalie Clarke, 42, snapped a squirrel scurrying up the tree with chocolate in mouth on November 21 that the two and two were put together.

A box of blue ribands were found in a skip behind the estate where the squirrels had been stealing them from.

She said: ‘We spent months finding these wrappers, we all got a bit obsessed and were trying to hunt people down.

‘We were trying to work out who buys wafers from Aldi before we realised that squirrels were doing it.

‘When I saw them I was like ‘oh my God I’ve finally found proof’.

‘The sheer volume of the bars honestly, they must be going through 100 of them a week.’

Fiona Downes, 33, lives on the estate and said: ‘I first noticed all these wrappers back in September.

‘We live on a private estate on an ex-RAF base – it’s a very close-knit community.

‘I was walking my children and suddenly noticed there’s loads of Blue Riband wrappers everywhere.

‘I posted a picture on our WhatsApp group, asking people to please pick up their wrappers if they’ve been eating chocolate bars.’

When no one fessed up to the mess, the culprit behind the mystery littering became an even deeper mystery.

‘It became a big topic among residents. Everyone was desperate to uncover the culprit. It was a big mystery,’ Fiona said.

‘People were getting annoyed, thinking someone was just littering. While others thought maybe it’s the bin men. Suspicions were growing.’

She added: ‘Once somebody had posted the pictures of squirrels it took the excitement away.

‘Then it seemed to calm down and we thought they might have finished their supply but in the past few days lots of the wrappers have been appearing again.

‘We’re not sure why the chocolate was left on our property. Maybe it was an out-of-date box.’

Natalie said the squirrels are on a chocolate rampage since being discovered and she is picking wrappers out of rose bushes ‘every day’.

Fiona said it had all been ‘a good bit of fun’ for the community.

‘I’d like to know how a squirrel opens a chocolate bar. They probably won’t be able to walk now due to putting on so much weight,’ Fiona added.

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