A popular Leek shop has had to install extra CCTV following several incidents of theft from the store.

Bibelot in Leek, which is located at the sheep market and sells a wide range of fabrics and arts and crafts materials, say they have had several incidents of recent theft at their store, including three balls of yarn being stolen on the first day of their new-look craft rooms being reopened.

The shop described their customers as "wonderful, trustworthy and friendly" but added that a small minority were not acting in this way which was causing harm to the business in a difficult time brought on by pandemic restrictions.

Those responsible for the thefts have now been urged to think before acting, and warned that any incidents spotted from now on will be taken further.

They also encouraged anyone experiencing hard times to ask for a voucher at the till, which would give them £5 off the cost of their shopping.

A spokesperson for the shop said last week: "This is not a post we want to write, and we're sorry it's not another update on our lovely stock - but we feel we need to put this out there.

"Stealing - this has always been a problem for us - especially upstairs in our haberdashery room, the odd button, ball of yarn, thread etc. We have CCTV and always have had but it can't cover every nook and cranny. We don't want to be that sort of shop that follows our customers around and makes them uncomfortable, we want a lovely welcome shopping experience so have to use a lot of trust and most of our customers are wonderful, trustworthy and friendly, but unfortunately not all.

"On the very first day we re-opened our new-look craft rooms we had three balls of yarn stolen and then two more on Saturday. This makes us very sad. We know whoever it was was welcomed into the shop and then on leaving thanked for visiting - so this really hurts.

"If the person/s who took the yarn or anything else from us without paying is reading this then please take a moment to think. We're a small family run business who try our hardest to offer a lovely relaxed environment to browse our lovely craft products, any thefts are very very personal and believe us when we say times are hard for retail due to the pandemic and anything taken from us is gone, no payback, no insurance, nothing.

"Something else for you to think about:

- We have now added more cameras to our system

- We top up our stock daily

- We have a computerised till system so we know what we have sold throughout the day

- If we find stock is missing at the end of the day we will check the cameras

- When we find the person/s who is/are stealing from us we will contact the police

- We will know if stock is stolen and we will take it further

They added: "It is not ok to steal from any business not even a 5p button - but us independents can't absorb the losses like some larger companies can so please please think before you act.

If you're reading this and you stole the wool as you could not afford to buy it - please just ask at the till for a Survive Together Voucher - if you're in need you can knock up-to £5.00 off your shopping - no questions asked.

"For all our wonderful customers who might be reading this and would never dream of stealing products - please be assured we're not suspecting you all! We know it's a very small minority and we really do appreciate your continued support as do all the independent shops and cafes in our lovely town! We really don't like doing it but feel we have no choice if we want this to stop."

The shop has since been given a wide array of support from local residents, with one saying: "So sad to read this, you always welcome everyone into your lovely shop."

Another added: "So sorry this is happening. I love your shop."

While a third commented: "I hope this post stops them. I love your shop and I love a good browse, I wish I could visit more frequently."

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