Food businesses across Edinburgh are being urged to be on their guard following a report of an attempted sale of potentially illegal shellfish.
The warning from the City of Edinburgh Council's Community Safety unit and Lothian & Borders Police comes after a city restaurateur received - and subsequently rejected outright - an unsolicited offer to purchase shellfish of an uncertain origin.
It is thought that this shellfish may have been illegally harvested.*
Suppliers of shellfish should have adequate documentation which clearly identifies the harvesting location, and that the area has been approved by the appropriate Local Authority.
Councillor Robert Aldridge, Environment Leader, said: "Having learned that illegally harvested shellfish may be being offered for sale to the Edinburgh restaurant and catering community, it is crucial that we remind those working in this sector to be on their guard at all times. High risk products such as shellfish should never be purchased without correct documentation to prove that they were legitimately sourced.
"Anyone being offered these products from a suspicious source or witnessing shellfish being gathered from the tidal areas of the foreshore in Edinburgh should contact the Council's Food Safety Team on 0131 529 3030. Our officers will investigate any reports jointly with our colleagues in Lothian and Borders Police."
A spokesman for Lothian and Borders Police said: "We urge businesses and members of the public to remain vigilant when approached by anyone selling any goods that they feel may not have been acquired legally.
"We treat such offences very seriously and those caught can expect to be robustly dealt with by the police."