18 May 2012 Last updated at 04:01 ET

Plants stolen from Dovedale 'lethal if taken as medicine'

If eaten, the plants can be fatal

Hundreds of plants stolen from a National Trust reserve in Derbyshire are potentially lethal if taken as a medicine, police have warned.

The plants, Arum maculatum, were stolen from the reserve at Dovedale and police believe people may use them as a treatment for cancer.

Officers warned that the plants have the potential to kill if they are not prepared properly.

Other side effects include sore throat, stomach pains and irregular heartbeat.

Wildlife crime officer PC Emerson Buckingham said: "We are concerned because these plants are poisonous.

"It's been suggested that they could be used to fight cancer."

The plants are more commonly known as Lords and Ladies or Cuckoo Pint.