Police 'chippy tea' alert over 1.7 tonne chip haul

A "whopping" 1.7 tonnes of ready-cut chips have been seized, according to police taking part in an operation to crack down on food standards breaches.

The tater mountain was among improperly stored food at premises visited by the Warwickshire force, which said it was "safe to say that's one chippy tea that won't be happening any time soon".

The find followed sweeps of Stratford-upon-Avon businesses with officers from environmental health, trading standards and immigration enforcement.

The council said the full consignment was voluntarily surrendered and destroyed on the same day.

During the operation, a number of warnings were issued, and there were three arrests made on suspicion of immigration offences, the force said on Facebook.

Police described the operation as "a coordinated effort to keep things safe, fair, and running smoothly".

Environmental health officers looked at hygiene, waste and workplace safety issues, the force stated, leading to seizures of "incorrectly stored food", including the chips.

Police added: "It wasn't all about enforcement, there was plenty of guidance and support along the way too."

Immigration enforcement officers had checked right-to-work compliance while trading standards focused on counterfeit goods and fair trading, the force said.

Local Safer Neighbourhood Team police officers were involved in the campaign.

Julie Lewis, from Stratford-on-Avon District Council, said their environmental health officers identified a "significant" breach.

"Nearly 1.71 tonnes of chilled prepared chips were being transported in an unrefrigerated vehicle at temperatures well above the legal requirement," she said.

"The entire consignment was voluntarily surrendered by the supplier and destroyed on the same day, preventing any risk to the public.

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