Thieves have stolen 600 litres of used cooking oil from a Stonehaven chipper.
Calum Richardson, owner of The Bay, says the culprits made off with the oil at about 6am on Saturday.
The oil can be made into bio-fuel, and is worth as much as 70p a litre.
A witness saw three men in a white Ford Transit van take the oil from the seafront business.
It has also been caught on CCTV and reported to police.
Not the first time?
The cooking oil was taken from outside the shop, but the thieves left the oil drums that they were in, which leaves Mr Richardson with suspicions that this was not the first time that it has happened.
He said: “We were waiting on an uplift from our normal supplier and they said ‘you’ve not got what you said you had’ and I thought that no one’s going to steal it and put the drums back, because that’s your automatic reaction.”
The Bay Fish and Chips, which is located on Stonehaven‘s Beach Road, sell on their used cooking oil to be made into biofuel and have lost about £420 because of the theft, which will have a negative affect on the business and its staff.
‘It’s affecting everyone who works for me’
“I said to my manager, who’s got a profit share of the shop, you’ve got to remember that cooking oil is pure profit, the money that comes back is profit.
“So you’re losing greatly, it’s a profit margin item for him. It’s affecting everyone who works for me really,” he added.
In a direct message to the robbers, Mr Richardson urged them “to get a real job”.
If you have any information on the theft, call police on 101.
Warning as organised crime gang targets cooking oil from north-east hotels and restaurants
Conversation