Brazen thieves seen raiding 'Britain's most looted shop' in front of staff
Shocking footage captured the moment two brazen thieves raided a petrol station dubbed “Britain’s most looted shop” right in front of helpless staff.
The BP Fourways garage and M&S Simply Food in Corby, Northamptonshire, recorded a shocking 188 crimes last year.
This included shoplifting, violence, robbery and criminal damage.
In May alone a terrifying 33 shoplifting offences were recorded - more than one a day.
These numbers have skyrocketed in recent years - quadrupling since 2020 when only 47 offences were recorded.
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Video captured this one robbery as staff could only look on as two crooks ransacked the petrol station, stealing meat and ready meals from the shelves.
The BP Fourways Garage and M&S store is a frequent target of thieves (SWNS)
Last year the garage recorded 188 crimes (SWNS)Residents have claimed the petrol station and shop are fuelling a crime wave in the town and is a soft touch for criminals and drug users who steal food to sell for cash.
Northamptonshire Police have also criticised BP and said they’re “frustrated” with the fuel giant for failing to deter criminals.
The company – worth a staggering £102 billion – has not forked out for security guards at the garage.
In the recorded raid, a man and a woman, wearing face masks, help themselves to food in front of staff on the evening of Monday, 13, February.
A stunned customer, who filmed the video, approached the crooks as they filled their bags with stolen goods.
He said to them: “Hello, you alright? Go on, why not have a bit of the steak? Do you not think someone’s got to pay for all this s*** mate?”
In the video one stunned customer approached the bold thieves as they looted the store (SWNS)
Staff are helpless as their store is repeatedly robbed by thieves (SWNS)A female staff member then said: “They’ve got no thought for anybody but themselves.”
The customer then asked the male thief: “Are you seriously doing this?”
Since the video was posted on Facebook it has gone viral with tens of thousands of views and shares.
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One social media user said: “The BP garage is an absolute joke. It’s like Supermarket Sweep for criminals.”
Another joked: “This is not just shoplifting … this is M&S shoplifting."
Another said: "Welcome to Corby, home of Britain's most looted shop."
Residents living nearby said it was not unusual to see police called to the petrol station up to eight times a day.
The BP Fourways Garage and M&S Store in Corby, which has become a crime hotspot (Northamptonshire Telegraph/ SWNS)One local claimed: “The crack cocaine users can go in, get enough to get their money for their next fix and do it again the next day.
"This is fuelling a crime wave and in turn is fuelling Corby’s drugs industry. These are not soft drugs – it’s crack and heroin.
"This situation at the BP garage is directly contributing to the addictions of some of the most vulnerable people in Corby.
"The garage is behind a spike in crime and it means insurance premiums for everyone in Corby go up.
"The police are obviously doing everything they can and are down there multiple times every day – but they understandably cannot put an officer there permanently.”
Police have met with company bosses several times to urge them to employ security guards, but their pleas have so far fallen on deaf ears.
Police are reported to have asked BP to invest in security for the store (SWNS)
BP refused to discuss the security arrangements, or lack thereof, of the site (SWNS)A Police spokesperson said: “Over the past 18 months, our officers in Corby have been working extremely hard to try and tackle the issues at the BP Fourways Garage in Cottingham Road.
“This work has included multiple arrests which have resulted in court appearances and convictions, multiple meetings with BP, and the issuing of crime prevention advice to the store and the company themselves.
“We are very frustrated with the situation and the video that is circulating on social media is extremely concerning.
“We would urge BP to work with us to tackle this issue as it’s imperative that this store becomes a safer place for the staff and its customers."
Police are now considering applying to the council for powers to strip the store’s alcohol licence to prevent crime and disorder.
A BP spokesperson said: “The safety of our staff and customers is our number one priority.
“We support all staff at our sites, with measures include staff training, CCTV and security personnel depending on the need at sites.
“However we don’t discuss details of specific security arrangements at individual sites.
“We are working closely with the police to support their work to arrest and prosecute these criminals.”
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