A Swadlincote shoplifter chose the wrong moment to walk out of town supermarket with goods he had not paid for.

The thief - described as 'prolific' - attempted to leave Lidl in Belmont Street without going through the checkouts.

But he ran into an off-duty police officer who recognised the man and chased him down.

Swadlincote's Safer Neighbourhood Team could not resist a 'Lidl' bit of fun at the shoplifter's expense as they gave details of what happened on their Facebook page.

Their post reads: "We all know Lidl shopping is a money saver and big on quality for all - but you still have to pay!

"A prolific shoplifter decided to walk out of Lidl without paying, after stealing a Lidl bit of this, and a Lidl bit of that.

"On leaving the store he activated the shop security alarms.

"Unfortunately, at the same time, an off-duty officer was walking into the store, the officer spotted the shoplifter and detained him after a short foot chase.

"The detained male is on his way to our big-on-quality custody suite, where he will spend a Lidl bit of time reflecting on what went wrong."