A man has been charged by police after thefts from two stores in Preston City Centre.

Officers from Lancashire Constabulary were called yesterday (13 August) after reports that items of footwear totalling around £200 were taken from Office on Fishergate and TK Maxx in Fishergate Shopping Centre.

A 33-year-old man was arrested at the scene. Mohammed Hussain, 33, of no fixed address has been charged with two counts of theft from a shop and was due to appear at Preston Magistrates’ Court this morning (14 August).

Read more: McDonald’s on Friargate closed for five weeks for much-delayed renovation

A spokesperson for police said: “Operation Vulture is Lancashire Constabulary’s response to shoplifting across the county, backed by Lancashire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw.

“The operation sees dedicated officers undertaking hotspot patrolling, increasing their visibility in targeted areas and creating strong partnerships with retailers across the county to better share intelligence, get a deeper understanding of retail crime and identify more offenders.”

Subscribe: Keep in touch directly with the latest headlines from Blog Preston, join our WhatsApp channel and subscribe for our twice-a-week email newsletter. Both free and direct to your phone and inbox.

Read more: See the latest Preston news and headlines