Britain’s widely-reported shoplifting epidemic is costing Primark £70 million annually, with the value fashion/lifestyle retailer calling for urgent action.

Noting the cost of theft to the retailer is more than its business rates bill, chief executive of Primark owner Associated British Foods (ABF), George Weston, said: “The level of shoplifting that we are seeing in our society today continues at unacceptable levels. We do need action from the state to put this right.”

Primark said the rising cost of thefts from its high street stores included installing more CCTV cameras and monitors and providing workers with body cameras.

It has also begun sealing its carrier bags with blue ‘sold’ stickers to try to deter people from entering stores with Primark paper carrier bags, filling them with clothes and leaving without paying.

In some cases, Primark is working with other retailers so that they can alert each other when criminals are in the area.

Retailers have been bemoaning the shoplifting surge since the pandemic with it being blamed both on the cost-of-living crisis and the emergence of gangs who know that their chances of being caught and prosecuted are slim.

Offences rose to 443,995 in the year to March, official figures show, up more than 100,000 on the previous 12 months, but that’s just those that were reported.

The Telegraph reported the Centre for Retail Research estimating that shoplifting adds around £130 onto the cost of an average household’s shopping bill each year.

Retail chiefs have complained that police are failing to investigate and charge shoplifters, particularly if the value of goods stolen is less than £200. But the new government said it’s planning a crackdown on shoplifting by introducing new laws requiring police to investigate even when the goods stolen are relatively low value.