DRIED caterpillars weighing more than 14 stone have been seized from a man at Gatwick Airport, who claimed they were for personal consumption.
The discovery, one of the largest of its kind at the airport, was made by border officials who stopped a 22-year-old man travelling from Burkina Faso via Istanbul at the South Terminal.
When officers checked his luggage they discovered tens of thousands of dried caterpillars shrink-wrapped in cellophane, which had been packed into four hessian bags. The man claimed that they were for personal consumption and that they were to be used as food.
The insects - weighing the equivalent of 94 kilos - were seized as they breach controls on the importation of products of animal origin, and will be destroyed.
Ingrid Smith of Border Force said: "This was an unusual seizure but the vigilance of our officers has stopped these dried insects from entering the UK, and possibly posing a risk to our food chain.
"I would warn travellers not to attempt to bring any products of animal origin into the UK without a permit, as they may not have been inspected to appropriate standards and may contain diseases."
Restrictions apply to products made from meat, dairy, fish, eggs and honey, as well as some fruit, vegetables and plants.
