A Greggs shoplifter was physically restrained by two security guards in west London as he attempted to smuggle out bottles of fizzy drink.

Horrified onlookers watched on while the suspect – dressed in a white T-shirt and jeans – grappled with store staff at Hammersmith Station yesterday afternoon.

Footage filmed by MailOnline shows a young man attempt to steal food and drink items before he is forced to drop the items on the floor.

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The thief then unleashes a swearing tirade at the two guards and leaves in a strop as they push him firmly away from the premises.

Passersby at the busy London station can be seen pausing to watch the spectacle which took place just after 1pm – while one even intervenes as the thief brawls with the store guards out in the open.

Last month Greggs ditched its self-service fridges and switched to putting sandwiches and bottled drinks behind counters in five branches.

Other stores installed bank-style screens on the counter and brought in security guards.

It comes amid a number of other filmed instances of brazen shoplifters in recent months in Greggs stores – where staff have not always been as keen to intervene.

Horrified onlookers watched on while the suspect – dressed in a white T-shirt and jeans – grappled with store staff at Hammersmith Station yesterday afternoon

Coke bottles went flying as the man resisted security guards as they tried to evict him from the premises

Footage filmed by MailOnline shows a young man attempt to steal food and drink items before he is forced to drop the items on the floor

The thief then unleashes a swearing tirade at the two guards and leaves in a strop as they push him firmly away from the premises

In the bakery chain’s South Ruislip branch in February footage captured a gang of thieves stuffing their bags with sandwiches, baked goods and drinks.

And in November a masked shoplifter raided the fridge at Greggs’ Norwood Junction branch in South London.

In footage captured by an onlooker, the shoplifter could be seen pinching two bottles of Lucozade sport, five Coca-Colas and two other beverages.

Unable to stop the man, staff watched on in disbelief from behind the till as the thief made off with his Waitrose bag full of stolen drinks.

Earlier this year, Greggs boss Roisin Currie also said the business was trialling initiatives including high-security doors, panic alarms, and a system that instantly shared shoplifter images with police.

It has also introduced body-worn cameras for staff in some of its other stores.

In April, official data revealed the number of shoplifting offences recorded by police in England and Wales in a year has passed half a million for the first time.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that a total of 516,971 offences were logged by forces in 2024, up 20 per cent from 429,873 in 2023.

The figure is the highest since current police recording practices began in the year to March 2003 – with shoplifting offences having been running at record levels for the past two years amid a sharp rise since the pandemic.