"Anyone offered large quantities of chocolate via unconventional channels should report it to the police immediately," Neustadt police said in a statement.

The stash of confectionery, worth between €50,000 and €70,000, was taken between Saturday evening and midday on Sunday.

Police are unsure whether the theft had been planned or was opportunistic.

They are also looking into into whether the case had any link with the theft of an empty trailer in Weimar, which was also stolen at the weekend.

Just last week, there was another chocolate-related crime in Germany.

Officers in Bad Oldesloe, in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein, announced they were looking for the owner of 53g of chocolate, presumed to be stolen and dumped, found in the town.