Shops seeing 'teens and little old ladies' steal

Shops on a street dealing with shoplifters ranging from "teenagers to little old ladies" are struggling to cope, say business owners.

Items ranging from wallpaper to memorial ornaments have been stolen from shops on Sunderland's Chester Road.

Nigel Marston, who co-runs Jayne Prior Funeral Directors, said the cost of living had pushed people into crime and businesses were reluctant to report them due to a perceived lack of action.

Northumbria Police said it had streamlined the process to make it easier for shop owners to report shoplifting.

Brad Purnell, from fruit and veg shop J Charlton & Sons, said the scale of theft was having an impact.

"You've got a tough profit margin to begin with, if someone steals £40 and £50 [worth of goods], it's money out of your pocket," he said.

His shop has operated for more than 50 years and displays much of its stock on the street, a tradition now under threat.

"With us having a lot of stuff outside, they generally go out there and if they can't see anyone, they'll be away like a flash."

Marcus Robson, who runs a convenience store on Chester Road, said routine shoplifting was having a significant impact on his business.

"They come in with their bags, they're hanging around for opportunities," he said.

He said thieves often spoke "as if they're very friendly" to create a false sense of security, before making off with the goods.

Robson said it was "pointless" reporting it to police "because nothing ever happens" and said there were often no officers in sight.

Purnell agreed it was "waste of time" reporting the issues to police, despite having evidence.

"Even if you have a picture with a product in their hand, they can argue they were going to pay for it, the police can't do absolutely anything at all," he said.

Marston has formed a group with businesses to share intelligence of offenders, including pictures, descriptions and times of when thieves are operating.

"The cost of living has put people on to shoplifting that they wouldn't have done in the past," he said.

"We see everything from teenagers to little old ladies."

He added there was a reluctance for businesses to report the issues due a perceived lack of action, but said the group was still trying to encourage them to report problems to police.

He said many owners were faced with large amounts of paperwork to report crimes, which were often not solved.

About half of shoplifting investigations between 2025-26 in the Northumbria Police force area (52%) were completed with no suspect found.

Retail crime lead Ch Insp Ian Blakemore said it was a "real problem" facing his force and others nationally but acknowledged there were issues affecting those on Chester Road.

He said Northumbria had recently tried to streamline the reporting process and urged shop owners to keep reporting.

He claimed it meant officers could act on intelligence and send cases straight to court without a need for interview.

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