A BUTCHER'S hopes of his sausage being named the best in Britain have been dashed by burglars.

Instead of heading to Smithfield in London yesterday, Mark Carr, of Cam Family Butchers spent the day clearing up, after the culprits smashed their way in and stole around £3,000 in cash and prime cuts of meat.

"They have taken the best joints," said Mark, who secured a place in the final of the Foodservice Sausage of the Year Competition with the only 100% score.

His Three Shires Apple and Herb Sausage was a racing certainty for victory.

"They took rump, ribeye, topside and fillet steak," he said.

"It must have been someone with a knowledge of meat, because they have only taken the most expensive stuff and left the rest.

"It didn't have a label on it or anything to say what it was."

He said the culprits broke in through the back door of the shop in Phillimore Road, Cam on Thursday night or Friday morning.

"They got in through a security door which we had installed on the advice of the police, after we had a break-in in December last year," he said.

"They took up to, or around £2,000 cash and we are looking at about £1,000-worth of meat taken."

Part of the inside of the shop was trashed by the burglars, who ripped locks off doors. The clear-up operation meant he spent the day at the shop, rather than at the Smithfield Market, where his sausage was up against 14 others.

"It's a real shame," he said. "We were the only entrant to get 100 out of 100 in the preliminaries and I thought we were going to do well."

Anyone who can help police with their enquiries should call them on 0845 090 1234, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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