A well-known Huddersfield company has had to pay thousands of pounds in compensation after using another baker’s trays without permission.

Award-winning Yorkshire pie maker A J Pies and Pastries Limited, which trades as Andrew Jones Pies (AJP), has agreed to stop using baker’s trays and other equipment belonging to Bakers Basco without permission and to pay combined compensation of £7,000.

Bakers Basco has been in litigation with Huddersfield-based AJP for some months. AJP makes meat pies, pastries and sausage rolls and Bakers Basco’s investigations had established that it was using Bakers Basco equipment to transport its products without paying the company a fee to do so.

AJP – based at the Queens Mill Industrial Estate off Queens Mill Road in Lockwood – is understood to have over 300 stockists including Asda, Booths, Costcutter, Morrison’s, Nisa, Sainsbury’s and Tesco.

Following an initial hearing in September at Huddersfield County Court a trial was scheduled for early 2017 at which Bakers Basco would have applied for an injunction, a court ruling banning AJP from misappropriating and misusing Bakers Basco’s trays and trolleys.

However, AJP has agreed to enter into a Consent Order, a formal undertaking not to continue using equipment belonging to Bakers Basco. AJP also agreed to pay a combined sum of £7,000 to settle the litigation.

Steve Millward, general manager at Bakers Basco said: “Our recovery team tracked a sizeable amount of our equipment being used by Andrew Jones Pies.

Bakers Basco trays

“It was clear they had been appropriated to transport and store AJP’s own products. Our baskets and trolleys are meant for transporting bread, and only bread, safely, cost-effectively and in an environmentally-friendly way and should not be used without our consent or for any other purpose.”

Bakers Basco has four million bread baskets and trolleys for the use of bakers. Currently, around 25 bakeries, ranging from small to very large, are licensed to use the equipment.

Bakers Basco bread baskets and trolleys are clearly marked as the company’s property. Usually, when it becomes aware that its equipment is being used without permission, a simple request to return the items is enough. However, in cases where companies hold on to Bakers Basco’s property after being asked to return it, it will take legal action.

It introduced GPS technology last year to help in its fight against the theft and abuse of bread baskets which has significantly reduced losses and improved recovery rates by its special tactical team.

A J Pies and Pastries Limited did not want to comment.