Andy Hardiment, assistant manager at discount store OneBelow in Hyde, Tameside, is recalling some of the more notable incidents of shoplifting he's witnessed recently. "The other week two girls came in and in three minutes they took about £100 of stuff - things like candles, Dove soap," he said. "Then last Saturday four lads came in and basically did a full shop from all around the store.
They took £200 worth of stuff. "It's the cleaning products and toiletries mainly. They can take something that's £4 in here and go to the pubs and sell it for £2." READ MORE: 'There were no warning signs...
then she was gone' READ MORE: The town where a new beggar appears every week Britain is in the midst of a shoplifting epidemic.
Offences recorded by police in England and Wales rose by 25% in the past year, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.
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