Moment brazen shoplifter is caught on video strolling out of Tesco with a basket full of cooking oil and a bottle of red
A slippery shoplifter was seen fleeing a London supermarket with a basket full of cooking oil in one hand and a bottle of red wine in the other.The incident, which occurred in the Southall Tesco Express in west London, was filmed by stunned onlookers who could not believe the brazenness of the thief.In the shocking footage, the shoplifter can be seen perusing the aisles of the store with his greasy loot in tow.The shoplifter was witnessed dropping a pile of Tesco's own brand £1.99 vegetable oil into a basket along with various other cooking oils.Two Tesco staff members also watched on helplessly as the incident unfolded.Marching is way out of the store, the thief grabbed one last souvenir in the form of a bottle of red wine and made no attempt to pay as he sauntered out onto the main road.Calmly making his way up King Street, the shoplifter then doubles back and makes his way down the main road in the opposite direction.Dressed in green combat trousers, a grey jumper and cap, the man then darted down a side street to make his getaway. A brazen shoplifter is seen strolling through Tesco with a basket full of cooking oil and a bottle of red wine The thief can be seen exiting the Tesco in west London without even attempting to pay Dressed in green combat trousers, a grey jumper and cap, the man darted down a side street to make his getawayShocked locals slammed the brazen stealing and expressed their belief that more should be done to stop them.One stunned shopper filmed the theft on their mobile phone in a 36-second video.Marie Hurst wrote on Facebook: 'It's a joke. It has to stop it would save money to employ three huge bouncers.'Paul Douglas added: 'Should lock the doors then common sense.'Derek Renshaw fumed: 'England is finished. True story.'Matt Plumley joked: 'If you steal stuff you get a bonus basket for life, winning.'The Met Police and Tesco have been approached for comment.The incident comes just a matter of weeks after London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan was ridiculed for claiming that shoplifting has soared in the capital 'because we have a lot of shops'. The shoplifter was videoed by other stunned customers The thief darted down Kings Street in Southall, West London, before making his getaway down a quiet side street The incident comes just a matter of weeks after London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan was ridiculed for claiming that shoplifting has soared in the capital 'because we have a lot of shops'Read More London Mayor Sadiq Khan says shoplifting is up in the city 'because we have a lot of shops' Sir Sadiq, who was knighted in the King's New Year's honours list, was speaking after official figures revealed that 80,041 shoplifting offences were recorded in the year to September, up from 53,202 the year before.The 50 per cent rise is more than double the 22 per cent rise across England and Wales as a whole, and comes at a time when the number of shops is falling.Challenged on why London is bearing the brunt he said: 'Because we have a lot of shops here, and because the cost-of-living crisis is more acute in the capital city.'Personal theft and personal robbery is a big concern for me in London, as well.'More than 13,000 shops shut for the last time across the UK last year with competition from online retailers and increased rents partly to blame.But the wave of shoplifting has driven many to the wall and the Centre for Retail Research predicts the trend will accelerate this year.Pandora, Swarovski, Bershka, Urban Outfitters and River Island have all announced plans to close their flagship stores in London's Oxford Street amid warnings that official crime figures dramatically underestimate the scale of the problem.An average of 55,000 thefts a day now take place in Britain's shops according to a survey by the British Retail Consortium (BRC), up by a quarter in the last 12 months.Violent thefts involving a weapon take place 70 times a day with retailers blaming a surge in organised gangs stealing to order.
