Cops arrest suspect after cheese fraudsters stole £300k of cheddar

Detectives hunting for a gang of alleged cheese fraudsters who stole £300,000 worth of premium cheddar from an iconic London dairy have moved one step closer to solving the heist.

In a sophisticated scam which has been dubbed 'The Grate Cheese Robbery', Neal's Yard Dairy mistakenly sent 950 uncut cheese wheels to the fraudsters who have been accused of posing as a legitimate wholesale distributor.

Fears were mounting that the alleged scammers who stole more than 22 tonnes of the world's best cheddar were still at large following the theft 10 days ago.

But police have revealed today that a 63-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the theft that sparked outrage across the dairy industry. 

A Met Police spokesman told MailOnline: 'On Monday, 21 October police received a report of the theft of a large quantity of cheese from a manufacturer based in Southwark.

'Investigating officers have since arrested a 63-year-old man on suspicion of fraud by false representation and handling stolen goods.'

Police added that the man was questioned at a south London police station and has been bailed pending further inquiries. 

Neal's Yard Dairy, a popular cheesemonger based in London, said earlier this week that they were 'overwhelmed' by messages of support, offers of financial support and cheese orders from as far as America and Germany.

Cheese lovers around the world have been left outraged by the calculated heist, with celebrity chef Jamie Oliver leading the fight to get justice for the dairy. 

Describing the four-month scam as 'The Grate Cheese Robbery', he said: 'In a shocking turn of events, Neal's Yard Dairy has fallen victim to a brazen heist of epic proportions.'

Neal's Yard Dairy said it has been 'truly touched' by the support following the elaborate scam.

The retailer's owner, Sarah Stewart, told The Times: 'Clearly British people love their cheese but we have had a lot of really incredible people getting in touch, it seems like it's gone international.

She added: 'Trade customers have been saying: "Can we pay quicker?" and "what can we do?"

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'We have three shops in London and a lot of our customers have come in really concerned and offering support, and then our e-commerce has seen an uplift in orders.

'We are trying to look forward and take heart from the incredible support and the interest it's generated and people emailing super nice messages. It's overwhelming.'  

Neal's Yard Dairy said it had still paid Hafod, Westcombe and Pitchfork, the producers of the cheese, despite 'the significant financial blow'. 

The scam is said to have first started in July, when someone posed as a well-known European cheese distributor and inquired about 950 truckles - uncut wheels - of cheddar.

For the next few months, the alleged scammer masked themselves as a distributor and appeared to display a high level of knowledge about the industry.

The Times reports that a contract was drawn up and the alleged scammer arranged for a haulier to collect half of the order of cheese from Neal's Yard Dairy's Bermondsey warehouse in September. 

The second half of the order was due to be delivered to a site in north London.

Fears started to grow when the dairy did not receive the payment within a week, which had been agreed. The buyer then stopped responding when Neal's Yard Dairy attempted to make contact.

They then contacted the legitimate distributor who they believed had made the order and quickly realised they had been scammed.

Neal's Yard Dairy has asked cheese lovers to contact them if they suspect they have received the stolen cheese, describing them as clothbound cheddars in a 10kg or 24kg format with the tags removed. 

The cheese could be kept for up to 18 months if stored in the right temperature and conditions.

Chef Jamie Oliver has helped appeal for more information by sharing the scam to his 10.5million Instagram followers.

'There has been a great cheese robbery,' he said. 'Some of the best cheddar cheese in the world has been stolen.'

He described it as a 'real shame', adding: 'If anyone hears anything about posh cheese going for cheap, it's probably some wrong'uns.

'So if anyone hears anything about lorryloads of posh cheese, I mean I don't know what they are going to do with it, really.

'Are they going to unpeel it from the cloth, and cut it and grate it and get rid of it in the fast food industry, in the commercial industry? I don't know – it feels like a really weird thing to nick.'

In a statement posted on its Instagram page on Sunday, Neal's Yard Dairy said: 'To everyone who has rallied to support us in the last few days – thank you.

'Since sharing the news of our theft, we have received an overwhelming number of calls, messages and visits. We are truly touched that so many people in the artisan cheese community and beyond are standing with us. It's a reminder of why we love the work we do.

'Many of you have asked how you can help. To that, we say: continue to support British and Irish cheese. Hafod, Pitchfork and Westcombe are special examples of farmhouse cheddar. Eat them. Celebrate them.

'We will be here, championing British and Irish cheese, for a long time to come.'