This is the shocking moment a “brazen shoplifter” walked into a shop and pinched a bottle of alcohol from the shelf before “thanking” staff on the way out.

It happened at the Premier shop in the Broadway, Crockenhill just after 2pm yesterday (September 17).

CCTV footage shows a man entering the store and heading straight for the back shelves.

He is then seen gently jogging out with a bottle of drink in hand and getting into a car which had been parked outside with its passenger door left open.

Krish Senthial, who works in the shop, said: “This guy just walked in, grabbed the bottle from the shelf and walked out saying ‘thank you’.

He added: “We’ve had shoplifters before but none who have been so brazen.

“I tried to open the door but he sped off.”

The incident happened just moments before a car crashed into a flat just a short distance down the road in Goldsel Road, in Swanley.

A spokesman for Kent Police said: “We were called at 3.07pm on Monday, September 16, to a collision involving two cars in Goldsel Road, Swanley.

“One of the vehicles is also reported to have struck a building and officers attended the scene along with paramedics and fire crews.

“Two people were taken to a local hospital for treatment to injuries that are not described as life threatening, and a man in his 30s was arrested in connection with the incident.”

Kent Police were asked for an update on the arrest and asked whether the two incidents were connected but told KentOnline the matter was being dealt with by the Metropolitan Police Service.

When approached for further information the Met said it was unable to pursue the request as it had “significant demands” on its time.