Shoplifting: Co-op store puts £7.50 olive oil under lock and key after thefts

A convenience store has been forced to put £7.50 extra virgin olive oil under lock and key after a spate of thefts.

Shoppers at the Co-op on Sprowston Road in Norwich, Norfolk can only get bottles of the oil once a member of staff has released them from a security case.

The extreme measure come during concerns over a explosion in shoplifting with criticism that the police are no longer treating it as a crime'

Reported retail thefts have risen by 27 per cent across ten of the UK's largest cities - and were up by 68 per cent in some, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said.

A spokesperson for Co-op, said: "Protecting the safety of our colleagues is a priority and we know shoplifting can be a flashpoint for violence against shop workers.

"So, whilst this is not a nationwide policy, a decision to implement product security measures at a local level will be made, if a store is experiencing a particular issue."

Matt Hood, Co-op Food managing director, said: ”We have seen some horrific incidents of brazen and violent theft in our stores, where my store colleagues feel scared and threatened.”

Earlier this year supermarkets including Waitrose, Iceland, Morrisons and Tesco rationed olive and cooking oils, saying that the Ukraine war had interrupted supplies. It is one of the products that has relatively gone up in price the most in recent years.