A teenage girl feels intimidated about shopping in her local Sainsbury’s after a "shocking and unacceptable" theft.

The schoolgirl is a regular at Sainsbury’s Local in Station Approach, Hayes, and a "blatant theft" recently left her furious.

The 16-year-old along with her mum, wrote to Sainsbury’s to outline their "fury" after meat was stolen in broad daylight.

They argued that the loss of a security man has led to the shop becoming a crime hotspot.

The daughter wrote to Sainsbury’s: "Recently, I was shopping with my mum and encountered something shocking and unacceptable.

"A man next to me took meat from the aisle to my left, put it into is bag and walked straight out of the shop. It was impossible not to notice as it was in broad daylight - around 4pm after school - and I began to feel uneasy. I brushed it off as I could not see any staff nearby and continued shopping.

"I then turned the corner and was asked to "move" by a man grabbing bags from under the self checkout and using them to take as much expensive boxed chocolate as he could carry straight out of the shop. It was the most blatant show of theft I have ever seen and it made me so angry."

The girl insisted the problem stems from Sainsbury’s "axing" their security man.

She claimed a Sainsbury’s worker "broke down in tears" weeks ago after describing to her what had allegedly become a "horrible place to work".

The teenager described the theft as an "awful example for local schoolchildren" and said customers are being driven out.

In her letter, she added: "I ask that you replace our door man and return the happy working and shopping environment for employees and customers alike."

Her mum, 49, who would not be named, said she was "appalled and furious" about the theft.

She added to News Shopper: "A member of their staff a few months ago said that she was really scared as a father with two young children had approached a teenage boy who was about to leave the shop without paying and the boy pulled out a knife.

"Must the residents of Hayes wait until someone is stabbed before there is security?"

The mum later said: "My 14-year-old son said that everyone at school knows they can take things from the store as 'nobody can do anything about it'."

Responding to the girl’s letter, a spokesman for Sainsbury’s said: "We’ve apologised to her for her experience. The safety of our customers is extremely important to us and we’re investigating her concerns."