Police were last night hunting thieves who stole a lorry packed with copies of the new Harry Potter blockbuster.

A trailer containing 7,680 copies of Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix was stolen from a trading estate at Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, on Sunday night.

It was discovered abandoned and empty in Salford, Greater Manchester.

Merseyside Police initially thought the value of the haul was about £1m but later said it was less after receiving fresh information from publisher Bloomsbury.

The eagerly-awaited book - the fifth in the series - will carry a cover price of £16.99 when it goes on sale this Saturday, though many shops are planning to offer discounts. The total retail value of the books, if sold at full price, would be around £130,000.

Author J K Rowling is aware of the crime and is being kept closely informed, her agents said.

Earlier this month, forklift driver Donald Parfitt was ordered to do 180 hours community service after he admitted stealing pages from the new Harry Potter novel at the printing firm where he worked.

Magistrates in Lowestoft, Suffolk, heard how Parfitt, 44, found the pages in the firm's car park, put them in his lunchbox then tried to sell them to The Sun newspaper.

The stolen articulated lorry, belonged to parcel delivery firm TNT, and supermarket chain Asda said it believed the consignment was destined for its depot in Wigan, from where the books would have been delivered to stores across the North.

The chain will open stores just after midnight this Saturday so Harry Potter fans can get their hands on the first copies. It has yet to reveal the price.

Merseyside Police warned the public they may be committing a criminal offence if they buy one of the stolen books.

"Officers are warning members of the public that if they handle the book before Saturday in anything other than a legitimate manner, they could face criminal charges," said a spokesperson.

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