Two men arrested and charged over Lancashire shop thefts

Summarised from 3 outlets · 5 reports · Updated 11 Nov, 16:28 · Archive

Two men have been arrested and charged following separate shoplifting incidents at supermarkets in Lancashire.

A man in his 30s from Haslingden was arrested on Tuesday after being identified in CCTV footage of a shoplifting incident. Lancashire Police said he allegedly entered Tesco on Syke Street, Haslingden, with two other men in September and bagged up spirits worth £1,000 before running through the checkouts and leaving without paying.

The same man was also allegedly captured on CCTV entering the Co-Op on John Street, Haslingden, on two separate occasions in October and November, filling his basket with packs of bacon before leaving without attempting to pay. He remains in custody for questioning.

In a separate incident, Michael Saunderson, 52, from Greenleaf Street, Liverpool, has been charged with theft from a shop. Police were called to Sainsbury's on Cable Street in Lancaster on Tuesday, 10 November, after Saunderson allegedly tried to leave the store without paying for bottles of champagne, rum, gin and other goods worth £264.

Store security stopped him as he was leaving and called the police. When officers arrived, they arrested him on suspicion of theft from a shop. A police spokesperson said the man had 'attempted to conceal bottles of champagne, rum, gin and other items on his person' before trying to leave.

Saunderson has been charged with one count of theft from a shop and will appear before Lancaster Magistrates' Court on 27 November. The arrests and charges are part of Operation Vulture, Lancashire Constabulary's response to shoplifting across the county, which involves dedicated officers undertaking hotspot patrolling and working with retailers to share intelligence and identify offenders.

How it is being reported

• Man charged after bottles of alcohol stolen from Lancaster Sainsbury’sA man has been charged with a shoplifting offence after alcohol and other items were taken.Lancaster Guardian · 11 Nov, 15:51
• Man charged after bottles of alcohol ‘concealed’ at Lancaster Sainsbury’sA man has been charged with a shoplifting offence after alcohol and other items were taken.Lancaster Guardian · 11 Nov, 15:39
• Man charged after £264 worth of champagne and gin allegedly stolen from Sainsbury’sA man has been charged with shoplifting after hundreds of pounds worth of alcohol and other items were reportedly stolen from a Sainsbury’s store in Lancaster.Lancashire Telegraph · 11 Nov, 15:38
• Haslingden man arrested over alleged £1,000 Tesco alcohol and Co-op bacon theftsA man has been arrested on suspicion of a number of shoplifting offences in Haslingden.Lancashire Telegraph · 11 Nov, 10:01
• Man arrested after £1,000 of alcohol stolen from Tesco store in LancashireHe was arrested on Tuesday after being identified in CCTV footage.Chorley Guardian · 11 Nov, 09:58

In this story: Lancashire Police · Tesco · Co-Op · Sainsbury's · Michael Saunderson · Haslingden · Lancaster · Liverpool

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log