Elsewhere in the country, unlicensed meat plants have been found to be buying meat condemned as being unfit for human consumption at cheap rates from slaughterhouses.

The carcasses, which can be in a rancid and even maggott-ridden state, are taken to the illegal plants to be boned and the meat re-processed and sold on at huge mark-ups.

Last month, Kamran Ajaib, 28, of Bradford, admitted breaching eight counts of food hygiene regulations at Bristol Crown Court.

The court was told his company Hamza Poulty supplied meat to 60 firms in the south west while operating from a filthy illegal processing plant.

Ajaib was given a 12-month suspended sentence and told to pay back £51,703.