A SHOPLIFTER was stopped in his tracks after being chased for half a mile by a bare-footed customer.

Daniel Weekes was about to pay for his shopping at the NISA store in Sopwith Crescent, Merley when he heard a shout from one of the cashiers, and spotted two teenagers taking a pack of beer without paying.

The 33-year-old roofer, who lives nearby, took off the flip-flops he was wearing without a second thought and gave chase, eventually persuading the shoplifter to put down the beer, which Daniel then took back to the shop.

He said: "One of them stood there playing dumb and the other one ran. I just took my flip-flops off and ran after him. My partner was in the car and saw me running and didn't know what was going on.

"I did warn him about half way that if I caught him he would be in trouble. I probably got about 20 yards away from him and he put them down."

Daniel walked back to the shop to return the beer and pay for his shopping and said the staff were incredibly grateful he had taken action.

He added: "The other guy was walking back to his friend when I was walking back to the shop - he was terrified. They were no older than 17 - I'm 33, so it was hard to run after them. I could hardly breathe when I got back to the shop and I'm a bit sore today - my feet are red raw.

"Nothing crossed my mind - I didn't think, I just took my shoes off and ran."