A SEATON man claims he is in a pickle with police after being caught stealing two onions because he refused to pay for a bag of ten.

A SEATON man claims he is in a pickle with police after being caught stealing two onions because he refused to pay for a bag of ten.

Jamie Gorman, 23, said he was rebelling because the Co-op store, in Harepath Road, no longer sells the veg individually.

He said he offered money for the goods, which were taken from a ripped bag that was due to be thrown away.

But police paid him a visit at his home and he was ordered to pay �2.89 for a bag of 10 onions and apologise to the store manager.

Jamie said: "There's an onion conspiracy.

"They're spelling the end of single onions, you mark my words. I'm not happy about it and am rebelling.

"And, technically, the store owes me eight more onions. I tried to pay �1 for two onions, as the bag was open and they said they were only going to dispose of them."

He added the store refused to take the money and, in frustration, he left with two onions from another bag. He said he has now been banned from the store.

A spokesman for The Co-operative said: "The range of produce we sell in our stores depends, to a large degree, on the size of the store.

"For this reason, our store at Harepath Road now only stocks pre-packed onions.

"Our pre-pack sizes are relatively small, however, and are not aimed at large households.

"Loose onions are still available at our larger Seaton store, nearby at Underfleet Way ."

Police told the Midweek Herald they had no knowledge of the incident.

However, a police spokesman said it could have been an example of 'restorative justice', where positive action was taken to get the offender to recognise the impact of their crime.