A shocked shopper witnessed a thief take goods from a town centre store in plain view.

The Poundland customer, who wished to remain anonymous, noticed a man hurrying out of the shop with a bag full of goods at around 9am on April 30.

A shop assistant followed the suspect and asked him to stop.

The witness said: “He obviously hadn’t paid for the goods.

“The shop assistant remained very calm and said that he had taken a full tray of chocolates and that she was not allowed to touch him.

"He kept saying, ‘Don’t touch me - don’t you dare lay your hands on me' and then rode off on a pushbike.

“He had made no attempt to cover his face or hide his identity and knew he couldn’t be stopped.

“I just stood there in total disbelief. It was so brazen.

“From this, it is obvious that shoplifters can steal with no fear of being apprehended and with no worries about being seen on CCTV as the chances of them getting caught or punished are remote.

"Shoplifting is endemic in this town."

Several cases of shoplifting have been heard at Swindon's courts in recent months.

A Poundland spokesperson said: "We know our colleagues face difficult situations every day. 

"We take the safety and welfare of our colleagues very seriously and while we report every shoplifting incident to the police, we would never expect them to put themselves at risk in any way."

Office for National Statistics figures released earlier this year showed that reports of shoplifting have soared by 35 per cent for the year ending December 2023 compared to the same period the previous year.

Duty Inspector James Neighbour said: “All reports of shoplifting are taken seriously as we fully understand the financial implications crimes of this nature can have on local businesses.

"We continue to work closely with local retailers in Swindon to share information and especially to identify persistent offenders, while our officers continue to maintain a visible presence in the town centre, routinely working with security guards and CCTV operators.

“We would urge anyone who witnesses an incident of theft to report it to police at the earliest opportunity so that we can take action.”