Video captured the moment a ‘thief’ helped himself to food from an unmanned Sainsbury’s delivery van before pedalling away on a bicycle.

Footage shows the dark–clothed man casually unlocking the back door of the vehicle and filling up two plastic bags with the stolen goods outside a pub in Devon Road, Bromley–by–Bow in London.

The theft, believed to have taken place on Saturday outside the Widow’s Son pub, was captured on camera by a passerby.

The suspect wears a dark green coat and grey jeans and can be seen stashing the bags while no Sainsbury’s workers are around.

A Sainsbury’s spokesman told the Daily Mail: ‘We’re aware of this incident which we have reported to the local Police.’

The Metropolitan Police have been contacted for comment.

It comes as Sainsbury’s stores themselves have resorted to extreme prison–like security measures in a bid to deter shoplifters.

In the summer, the Daily Mail revealed how one outlet – Battersea Riverlight Local – had introduced cages with metal grating to protect cashiers.

Shoppers took to social media to express their concern at the change. One dubbed the measure an ‘indictment of British social decay’.

Last week, an innocent Sainsbury’s customer was marched out of his local store by staff after facial recognition software correctly identified an offender was inside – but staff ejected the wrong man.

Warren Rajah was in the Elephant and Castle branch on Tuesday when two members of staff and a security guard suddenly escorted him outside in what he described as ‘the most humiliating moment of his life’.

When the 42–year–old asked why, they pointed to a sign showing that the store used facial recognition technology.

In fact, they had mistaken him for someone who was on the system for shoplifting who had also entered the store at the same time.

The shopworkers mistook Mr Rajah for him and ejected the wrong man.

The store is one of six in London where Sainsbury’s has recently rolled out Facewatch technology, in response to rising theft and violence against staff.

Mr Rajah said: ‘Then they told me to leave. It was the most humiliating moment of my life, being escorted out the place I have shopped in for 10 years in front of my community.’

A Sainsbury’s spokesman said: ‘We have been in contact with Mr Rajah to sincerely apologise for his experience in our Elephant and Castle store.

‘This was not an issue with the facial recognition technology in use but a case of the wrong person being approached in store.’

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