Shoplifting in the UK has risen by a worrying 70 per cent over the last six years, according to new figures.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) survey shows that shop crime has cost British retailers £13.26bn since 2000.

That figure included a whopping £4bn spent on crime prevention.

The total cost of shop crime in the UK in 2005 was £2.1bn, down 1.3 per cent on a year earlier.

The survey, which was sponsored by security firm ADT, revealed that thieves steal an average of £149 worth of goods in each shoplifting incident.

The research also showed that shoplifting was to blame for 60 per cent of violent incidents in stores.

The BRC is calling on the UK Government to reject proposals that would see prison removed as a penalty for shoplifting, even for the worst repeat offenders.

The organisation also wants the police to make retail crime a higher priority.

BRC director general Kevin Hawkins said: "The huge increase in the number of shoplifting incidents is extremely worrying.

"It is having a very serious financial impact and is putting the safety and wellbeing of staff and customers at risk.

"Soft penalties and poor enforcement are to blame. Retailers are spending millions of pounds on their own crime prevention as well as contributing £4.5bn a year in business rates.

"They are entitled to the support of government and police but at the moment they are not getting it."

The BRC report shows that crime has a proportionately bigger impact on small and medium sized enterprise (SME) retailers than their larger counterparts.

Nearly one in six SMEs have been forced to close their businesses for a period of time as a result of crime.

And 13 per cent of SMEs have had to let staff take time off as a result of a criminal incident.

ADT's John Smith added: "Customer and staff theft account for 79 per cent of total losses from crime and retailers cannot afford to become complacent.

"Investment in crime prevention is paying dividends, but retailers still face pressure to implement ever more innovative ways of tackling the issue to ensure that, whatever size they are, they can meet the challenge head on and protect staff and revenue."