Thieves steal lamb worth £4,000 from Askerton

- Published: 03 August, 2010

A professional gang in Cumbria may have been behind the theft of £4,000 worth of organic meat, police believe.

The thieves stole the beef, lamb, pork and mutton during a break in at the Askerton Castle Estate near Brampton.

According to police reports, the thieves broke into a chiller store overnight.

Farm co-owner Jane Eden commented: "It was meat vacuum-packed and labelled for ourselves or for customers."

A police spokesman said: "This could be the work of a professional gang. If any butchers are offered this meat, they should contact us."

Askerton Castle specialises in rare-breed livestock, including Belted Galloway cattle, Scottish Blackface sheep and Tamworth pigs. Sales are direct from the farm or farmers’ markets.

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