POLICE fear an enterprising thief is selling spoiled food to unwitting residents after stealing it from the bins of a York supermarket.

Staff at Budgens have spotted a well-dressed man rummaging through the dumpsters at the rear of their Micklegate store.

Food including meat, bread, cakes, and sandwiches has gone missing from the bins on several occasions since Tuesday when the lock was vandalised.

Officers have warned members of the public to be wary of people selling food that has passed its sell-by date from unofficial sources. Workers at the store have been advised to treat all food thrown out with coloured dye to prevent resale.

A City of York Council spokeswoman said it is not an offence to sell food after its best before date, but the quality of produce can obviously not be guaranteed.

She said: "We would advise shoppers only to buy food from bona fide retailers so they can be sure that the products they are buying are safe to eat and that the premises are regulated by health and safety law."

A Budgens spokeswoman said staff are now taking extra measures to make thrown out food unusable while they wait for the locks to be repaired.

Updated: 10:32 Friday, February 20, 2004