SHOPLIFTING is on the increase in Axminster because of the credit crunch, according to shopkeepers.

SHOPLIFTING is on the increase in Axminster because of the credit crunch, according to shopkeepers.Mole Avon Town and Country Store was broken into on Tuesday, March 10, and almost �2,500 worth of stock fencing was taken.And hundreds of pounds worth of products have been stolen from Boots.Steven Broom, of Mole Avon, said: "It makes me very angry. "It's a financial burden and there's the annoyance factor that someone has been in and taken your goods."The break-in took place between 2.30am and 3.30am after a transit van entered the secured site.A spokesperson for Boots said the store had been targeted on a number of occasions. He said: "I would like to see the perpetrator(s) severely dealt with."He added that the rise was probably both drug related and due to the economic crisis.Both stores said they felt the police communication system Axcom - a shop radio link which puts them in direct contact with police - had proved useful in the event of shoplifting.Anyone with information on the incident at Mole Avon should call police on 0845 2777444, quoting crime reference KA09144.