A fruit farm has stopped doing "pick your own" strawberries because customers are eating too much of the fruit without paying. Hacker's Fruit Farm, near Cambridge, had offered pickers the chance to select their own strawberries for the last 40 years. Mark Spight, who runs the farm, said he was annoyed at the number of people not paying for the strawberries.

 

One family were caught dipping the berries in cream as they picked them.

Mr Spight said he used to get angry watching people gorging themselves then only taking a handful of fruit to be paid for. He said some people were eating up to £15 worth of strawberries and would come to the checkout covered in juice.

 

There had also been an increasing problem with unruly behaviour leading to plants being trampled and fruit damaged. "We don't mind people going picking and trying some strawberries, but we once had a family come with a bowl of cream. It was shocking," said Mr Spight.

 

The farm still has a farm shop and "pick your own" blackberries and other berries.

 

I’ll admit it I have sampled a few strawberries when I have been, maybe half a dozen but probably no more than that. I was walking the supermarket the over day when a bunch of youths were sampling a large packet of crisps and a bottle of coke while walking round, they did get stopped by the security gaurds on the way out.