Warning about buying cut price meat or cheap laptops this Christmas

With gifts, food and all the trimmings to be bought, the cost of Christmas soon adds up.

But, before you opt to buy that cut price joint of meat from the chap in the pub, or a laptop that’s cheap as chips think twice.

There might be a reason it’s a steal… literally.

You could even end up with a gift taken from underneath someone else’s Christmas tree.

Handling stolen goods is taken as seriously as stealing the item in the first place. Not only are you criminalising yourself, but it also encourages shop theft and burglary.

As a general rule, if something seems too good to be true, it usually is.

So whether it’s cut-price turkey and a tin of sweets from the back of a van or a laptop at your door – or anything else offered in an unusual setting at a bargain price - do not buy it.

To increase the chances of being reunited with your new gadgets, gizmos and toys if you are targeted by thieves, register your valuables onto www.immobilise.com.

This is a free web-based property recording system, endorsed and searchable by all UK Police Forces.

This fantastic tool allows members of the public to register property details of cycles, mobile phones and other electricals on-line for FREE, which then assists police in returning items to their rightful owners and helps bring offenders to justice.

If someone offers you items you suspect have been stolen, please call Humberside Police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.