Almost £4m-worth of goods was stolen from Cumbrian businesses between 2013-16.

These were taken in more than 3,300 different incidents of "business theft", defined as recorded offences of theft of commercial goods from firms in the county, with offences including theft from shops and stalls, running away without paying, attempted theft or theft by an employee.

This information was uncovered by self-storage company Space Station, which submitted Freedom of Information requests to police forces around the UK, including Cumbria Constabulary.

Nationally, £184,163,389 worth of items were stolen from businesses across the UK in the space of these three years in 842,752, according to the figures from the 20 responding forces. This figure includes the 3,360 incidents in Cumbria, equating to £3,784,725.42 of stolen goods. Vlatka Lake, marketing manager at Space Station, said: “It is shocking to see that over 842,000 reported cases of business theft have taken place over the last three years, and that these businesses have lost out on over £184m in stock.

“Although many of these crimes aren’t preventable, it is important to be extra vigilant to stop cases like this recurring and to safeguard people's livelihoods.

“We highly recommend that businesses invest in secure storage solutions and take necessary steps to deter criminals. A well-lit space that is laid out to remove any hidden corners or ‘blindspots’ can deter opportunists."

“Business owners can also look into alternative areas to hold their stock if they are going to be away from the premises for any period of time," she added.

Greater Manchester topped the list with 141,887 incidents for goods with a total value of £71,384,978.43.