The East of England Co-op has welcomed the jailing of an Ipswich shoplifter who stole more than £350 worth of alcohol, coffee and tuna.

Liam Collis, of Kitchener Road, Ipswich, was recently sentenced to eight weeks in prison for theft at Suffolk Magistrates’ Court.

Collis, 34, had indicated guilty pleas to four charges of thefts from a shop in relation to incidents which took place between August 25 and September 4 this year.

According to court documents, on August 25 Collis stole coffee and tuna to the value of £61.66 from a Co-op store in Ipswich.

Five days later, he stole £82.95 worth of alcohol, this time from a Co-op store in Woodbridge.

On September 2, Collis again stole from a Co-op store in Woodbridge, taking £140.50 worth of spirits.

Two days later, he stole more alcohol from the store to the value of £66.89, bringing the total value of the goods Collis stole to £352.05. 

Head of profit improvement at the East of England Co-op Lee Hammond said: “This outcome champions our approach to dealing with theft in store.

Head of Profit Improvement at the East of England Co-op Lee HammondHead of profit improvement at the East of England Co-op Lee Hammond (Image: East of England Co-op) “We’re working closely with local police services across our region to assist in bringing those who commit crime in our stores to justice, making our communities safer places to be.” 

The sentencing of Collis follows another recent shoplifter being jailed for six months for theft after stealing three jackets from Blacks Ltd in Auction Street in Bury St Edmunds.

The Office for National Statistics recently found the number of reported shoplifting offences has increased across the county by 8% since last year - however Suffolk's figure was the lowest increase across the East of England.

In Ipswich shoplifting numbers have remained the same and the main increase has happened in coastal Suffolk areas - where reports are up 30%.