A SHOP owner who was targeted by thieves four times in seven months has said punishments are not 'big enough' to tackle the problem.

This comes as a national report has revealed more than 950,000 estimated shop thefts took place in the UK during 2017, rising from 575,000 in 2016.

Muhammed Hussain, 40, who runs Smart Chocolate in Calendar Street near Morrisons, Blackburn, was subject to four separate break-ins in June, August and October 2015 and February 2016.

The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) crime report 2018 revealed each shop has to fork out £1,700 to cover theft in 2017, with meat, cheese and alcohol being the top three items taken.

Mr Hussain, originally from Burnley, said the crime report figures were 'scary' but not surprising.

He said: "The figures really are concerning, theft to shops is such a big issue and it can strike anyone.

"When my shop was hit four times, I was walking a tight rope, I almost closed.

"Shop owners really do worry about being broken into because it can have severe consequences.

"I had to survive off the support of my customers, I had to fork out and repair damage with money I was relying on to pay bills with.

"Its incredibly upsetting and worrying for small shop owners as its their lively hood that's on the line."

The report revealed shops have spent £5million to tackle staff theft and the biggest perceived motivation for shop theft was opportunity, following by drug or alcohol addiction, organised crime and motivated by poverty.

Mr Hussain, who sells short-dated food at discounted prices in a bid to reduce food waste and help out low-income families, has had to pay hundreds of pounds to keep his shop going.

He said: "The shop is doing well now and I've recovered from the terrible events.

"But to me the punishments just don't seem big enough to put people off doing the crime.

"A thief will be put in jail for a few months and then they're out doing it again, there's not enough deterrent.

"I'm so grateful my customers stood by me and supported me because without them I would have had to close."

The top features in stores to help prevent crime include security, CCTV, staff training, cash handle and storage and internal investigations.

ACS chief executive James Lowman said: "Retailers and their staff are facing violence and abuse on a regular basis for enforcing the law, whether it be through challenging shop thieves, refusing the sale of age restricted products like tobacco and alcohol, or refusing to serve people that are intoxicated.

"Retailers need a consistent response from the police to ensure that when a crime is committed against a retailer it is taken seriously by the police and the courts.

"Shop thefts especially are often being committed by people that are dependent on drugs or alcohol, or part of an organised gang, with many now unafraid to turn to violence when challenged.

"Allowing shop theft to go unpunished means that these people go on to commit other offences, and where they have addiction problems they are not treated.

"We need fresh thinking from government and the police, because when shop theft is not tackled properly, it has wider implications for communities.

“The figures in our crime report provide an important insight into what retailers face when dealing with crime, but we expect the true impact to be much larger as a lack of faith in the consistency of police response has led to many incidents going unreported."