Stephen and Catherine Temple have spent decades building the reputation of their cheese-making dairy at Wighton, near Wells.

But now the business has been impersonated by criminal gangs seeking to steal goods ordered in their name.

The National Food Crime Unit has warned of an increase in this type of fraud, as scammers take advantage of credit terms to give them time to make off with goods including cheese, vegetables, poultry, fish and meat.

The fraudsters pose as legitimate buyers, so they pretend to be small farms or businesses.

The Temples have fended off dozens of calls from suppliers relating to faked orders of products including fish, cheese and vegetables, and the fraudsters have also applied for substantial credit using a forged passport in Mrs Temple’s name - in one case trying to buy a £15,000 ride-on lawnmower from a dealership.

But the most worrying episode came earlier this month, when an unexpected solicitors' letter threatened court action unless more than £22,000 was paid to settle a credit account fraudulently opened with a national hardware store.........

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