A business owner is losing about £1,500 a month to youths stealing sweets and vapes from his store.

Saba Mahesh, who owns four stores in Sheerness, has captured the thieves on his CCTV cameras, brazenly entering the store to steal the goods before running away.

The 50-year-old – who runs 3A’s Wines, Fitch’s Newsagents, SS Convenience Store and SS News in Queens Way and the town’s high street – claims there has been a rise in the town’s unruly youths since lockdown.

He said: “The police never seem to take any action. I have been reporting the children who come into my stores and steal since 2021.

“It always seems to be teenagers between 15 and 18 years old who cause issues.”

Mr Mahesh, who has owned shops on the Island for the past 20 years, says he has never seen youth crime so bad in the area.

The entrepreneur, from Surrey, continued: “Since the Covid pandemic things have got really bad.

“These kids are stealing sweets, toys and even forcefully taking boxes of disposable vapes from behind the counters.

“I used to report it to the police every time it happened but I am so fed up with it now because they don’t care.

“Officers never do anything about it and that is why these children continue to steal, they face no consequences.”

Inspector Vanessa Foster, of Swale’s Community Safety Unit, explained that Kent Police does take all reports of shoplifting seriously.

She said: “Kent Police understands the detrimental impact it has on local businesses. This year, throughout June and July, 73 charges were authorised for such offences in Swale. We have increased the number of officers in town centres, and dedicated beat officers, who are a single point of contact for communities, will respond appropriately to tackle criminality.

“We also have access to a radio which is connected to the council-run Swale Link shop radio system. This allows concerns from businesses to be shared very quickly and Kent Police respond immediately when appropriate to do so. The public can also contact us in a variety of ways to report crime, which we encourage them to do.”

Mr Mahesh claims that yobs are stealing about £50 worth of products from all of his businesses every day.

He added: “What can you do? The kids keep coming back because the police are letting them get away with it.

“If myself and my staff are busy serving other customers they sneak in and steal without us realising.

“I can’t invest in security guards either as it will be a waste of money that’ll further eat into my profits.”

Mr Mahesh explained that although it is hard to give an exact number, he is losing almost £350 a week due to the crime in the high street.

He said: “We’re really struggling, it’s a tough situation to be in.

“Because we’re losing money we have no other option but to stop special offers on some products and raise the prices on others.

“I have to find a way to cut our losses. That’s why milk has risen from £1.70 to £1.90. My hands are tied.”

According to Mr Mahesh, not only does the shoplifting increase in the summer holidays but he sees children from other areas also targeting his business.

This isn’t the first time yobs have been reported causing chaos in Sheerness.

A recent increase in vandalism in the town is being blamed on “government cuts, a failing education system and poor parenting”, with children there being labelled as “feral”.

Over the past six months, vandals have burnt down the much-loved playground castle at the Beachfield’s sandpit, damaged parked cars owned by staff from nearby Wiggles Playgroup, thrown paint and glass in the outside paddling pool at Sheppey Leisure Complex and pulled plants from flower beds in Marine Town.

Further afield on the Island, yobs have destroyed war memorials by the Minster Gatehouse Museum and set fire to seaside toilets.

Sheerness County Youth Centre boss Ray Featherstone, who’s been in place since 1961, previously claimed that the children of the area are acting up as there is a lack of things for them to do.

The 79-year-old said: “Youth work is reducing and that’s because the volunteering sector is very poor at the moment.

“There isn’t anything for young people to do and because of that teenagers trying to have some fun suddenly start doing something illegal instead.”