Hundreds of people will be going hungry on Christmas day after £20,000 worth of meat was stolen from a farm shop.

Countless turkeys were stolen alongside lamb and ribs of beef in the 'mindless' theft from Johnson's in Old Hurst, Cambridgeshire.

Police were notified at 7.47am on Monday, December 24, and are now appealing for witnesses.

Countless turkeys were stolen alongside lamb and ribs of beef in the 'mindless' theft from Johnson's in Old Hurst, Cambridgeshire. Image undated

PC Poppy McCullagh said: 'This mindless act will have a devastating effect on the business and leave hundreds of families without their turkey dinner this Christmas.

'I am appealing to anyone with information, or who may be offered meat for sale, to contact us.'

Yesterday, chaos broke out in several UK supermarkets as shoppers squabbled over the remaining turkeys on sale.

One Twitter user told how two elderly women came to blows over a turkey in Liverpool and had to be separated by staff, calling their spat 'turkey rage'.