Police were in the right place at the right time yesterday afternoon to question two female shoplifters at Booths, Burscough.

And so was QLocal's Roger Blaxall who took these exclusive photos of the officers blocking a Mercedes van at the Ringtail Retail Park roundabout as a male driver and two women were questioned.

Yesterday afternoon, a suspicious member of staff raised the alarm after two ladies walked out the store with booze hidden in a trolley. They were followed by four members of staff including manager Richard Ford to a Vito van parked on the petrol station forecourt while the PC and her PCSO colleague - who were on the store car park - were alerted.

Minutes later they had blocked the van's exit while the man and two women were questioned.

The store is something of a magnet for thieves, and a number of staff have complained that there is no overt security presence there to deter shoplifters with it relying instead on high definition CCTV cameras; it was only recently that a lady who stole a bottle of spirits a week was banned from Booths.