Concerns are mounting over an increase in shoplifting rates in Avon and Somerset, thought to be driven by the escalating cost of living crisis.

Figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request by RADAR reveal Avon and Somerset Constabulary recorded 4,223 shoplifting offences between April 1 and August 31 this year. That was a rise of ​42.4% compared to the 2,965 logged during the same period last year.

Between April and August, 369 (8.7%) shoplifting crimes resulted in a charge or summons in Avon and Somerset, meaning a significant proportion led to no suspect being charged – though ​307 had not been assigned an outcome at the time of the request.

Much of 2022 has been dominated by surging inflation, rising food prices and soaring energy bills, which have left many households across the UK reassessing how they are going to pay the bills.

Incidents of shoplifting in the UK increased 18 per cent nationally as the highest inflation in more than four decades has pushed up prices on items ranging from bread to pasta, making it more difficult for consumers to afford basics.

Sabine Goodwin, coordinator of the Independent Food Aid Network, which comprises independent food banks across the UK, said people are becoming "more and more desperate" as the cost-of-living crisis exacerbates pre-existing poverty in Britain.

"People are being faced with impossible choices as food insecurity spirals out of control," she said.

The British Retail Consortium, which represents retailers in the UK including big-name food stores, said shoplifting remains a "significant" burden, costing retailers £663 million in 2020-21.