A LARGE quantity of meat was stolen from a family run store at Cheriton Bishop last month.

A selection of meat including beef, pork, lamb and gammon was stolen from Checkers Post Office and Stores on Saturday, September 22.

Owner Maria Deredas explained: "We have a chiller section in the stores where we keep fresh meats and when I went to check to see if it needed filling up I realised that it had been stripped bare."

She added: "In this day and age with a small shop like ours, which has to compete with all the larger supermarkets nearby, it is an awful thing to happen."

Although there are CCTV cameras in the store the owners are asking anyone who might has seen something suspicious to come forward.

A police spokesman said: "This kind of crime is unusual and thankfully very rare.

He added: "I would urge that if anybody has been offered the sale of any meat they should be suspicious and contact the local police in Crediton on 01363 777010."