A Co-op branch has been placing “dummy” display boxes on its shelves to deter thefts after losing thousands of pounds every week.

The shop in The Parade, Istead Rise has resorted to swapping its high-value products for empty boxes after reporting being regularly targeted by criminal gangs “clearing whole shelves of products”.

Staff in the quiet village store say they worked with police to come up with the deterrent as a way of saving the shop from losing thousands in profits every week.

A spokeswoman said: “We had to remove a lot of high value products from our shelves, and replace them with dummy boxes because we were being targeted by criminal gangs who were clearing of whole shelves of products.

“We have been working closely with the police and had to bring in a deterrent as we could not sustain the £1,000s we were losing every week.”

The staff said it was not an ideal situation as it meant customers were left waiting for the cashiers to go and find the original product.

The spokeswoman added: “We realise this has been a great inconvenience for our customers having to wait for us to get the products, and we are truly grateful for their patience and understanding.”

‘They have now been threatening and abusive to our staff members’

The store is hopeful this will deter criminals and are planning to return products to the shelves “in limited amounts”.

Staff at the shop say they have also been threatened and abused by youths hanging around “shoplifting and acting in an unsociable manner”.

They have asked for an increase police presence in the area and say the police have already issued bans to a number of the youths but they keep returning.

“Periodically they turn up again where they have now been threatening and abusive to our staff members,” she added.

“We have been informed by the police to ring 999 straight away, but as many of them are on bikes, they have disappeared, by the time they get here.”

Co-op said officers are planning to increase their patrols at the times the youths are usually in the area.

Police were approached for further comment.