Steaks and cheese are being fitted with security tags and coffee replaced with dummy jars, as supermarkets battle to curb a rise in shoplifting.

Some stores are also limiting the number of items on shelves in an attempt to reduce theft.

It comes as data analysed by the BBC showed shoplifting offences had now returned to pre-pandemic levels as the cost of living rises.

Retailers say they are spending heavily on anti-crime measures.

In March, police forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland recorded nearly 33,000 incidents of shoplifting according to data analysed by the BBC.

That is a significant 30.9% increase compared with March last year.

 

The BBC has contacted all the main supermarkets in the UK to ask whether they have put in place extra security measures.

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Some, including Waitrose, were unable to comment on matters of security. Others insisted the measures are not being taken nationwide, but have been implemented at individual stores facing high rates of theft.

It was bacon, coffee and razor blades 20 years ago.  Nothing here that's not been seen before.