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Five separate Holland & Barrett shops across Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire were all targeted on the same day.

Nearly £5,000 worth of probiotics and other health items were stolen during trading hours on November 12 last year.

Stores in Nottingham city centre, Sherwood, Beeston, and Mansfield, along with one in Loughborough, all fell victim to the theft spree.

A suspect has been charged with a string of thefts from a health food chain. Photo: Nottinghamshire Police

Two more Holland & Barrett shops – in Hinckley, Leicestershire, and Crewe, Cheshire – also had items taken on November 11 and 13 respectively.

Before this happened, another store in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, had also been targeted, with thieves again making off with health products.

Eight Holland & Barrett shops had stock stolen during the cross-border spree in total, with the stores losing around £9,000 worth of items between them.

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Police have now charged Ilie Varnescu with all eight offences, along with a ninth theft from a Co-Op store in Egremont, Cumbria, on October 21 last year.

The 50-year-old suspect, of Billesley, Birmingham, appeared at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, March 5 where he was remanded in custody.

He is next due to appear at Nottingham Crown Court on April 2.

PC Abby Pinnock, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Thousands of pounds worth of items were stolen during this theft spree.

“While most were based in Nottinghamshire, shops in Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Cheshire also had stock taken during these incidents, which we believe to be linked.

“Despite these offences taking place across county borders, we have now been able to charge a suspect and put them before the courts.”

Suspect charged after raiding Mansfield store during theft spree