Burglars who stole thousands of pounds worth of meat from a butcher's shop in Essex, England, left behind a surprise for the owner - they scrawled an apology on a blackboard in his shop.

The discerning burglars got away with £2,700 worth of meat, but obviously had an attack of conscience on the way out.

They left the message: "Sorry Guv. We usually nick from supermarkets but as Christmas is coming, we thought we would go for a bit of quality for a change."

Roger Shinn, who runs the butcher's shop in Leigh in Essex, said he was surprised when he discovered the apology.

Mr Shinn said he normally uses the blackboard to entertain customers by writing on it rude stories about his mother-in-law.

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