Thieves raid butchers shop in Isleham stealing Christmas stock

Thousands of pounds worth of Christmas meat has been stolen after thieves raided a farm in Isleham.

The stock was stolen from TFM Butchers in Fen Bank between 7pm on Thursday (December 12) and 6.30am on Friday (December 13).

Raiders forced a gate from its hinges, a metal wall was bent out of place and a lock was snapped to gain entry to a warehouse.

While inside they emptied freezers containing gammon, ham, bacon, beef, pork, chicken and sausages worth around £2,000.

They then smashed their way through to the front shop to steal more meat.

A lot of the meat was labelled and ready to be sold. In particular the joints of pork had their weight inscribed on them in green ink.

A sentimental butcher's knife with 'DH' engraved on the handle was also stolen during the burglary.

Margaret Thompson who co-owns the family butchers, said: "We have been left absolutely devastated by the break-in.

"They took everything they could carry; meats, knives, trays and even hooks, at one of our busiest times of the year.

"The support we have received from our village and further afield has been completely overwhelming and we are pleased to say we will be fulfilling all our Christmas orders, despite this setback."

PC James Bayer said: "This burglary has had a devastating effect on the business in the run up to Christmas.

"I am appealing to anyone who saw anything suspicious in the area at the time or who has been offered meat from an unfamiliar source to get in touch as a matter of urgency."

Anyone with any information should call police on 101, quoting crime reference number 35/88842/19.