A battling great-gran who caught a shoplifter after chasing him down the street has warned other thieves to stay away – or face the same treatment.

Ann Moneypenny, 68, who has volunteered at the British Heart Foundation shop in St Peter’s Street, Canterbury, for four years, caught the thief pocketing a hat on Friday.

Without a second thought, she gave chase and stopped the man in his tracks, giving him a dressing down in front of other shoppers before snatching back the stolen trilby.

The shop is frequently targeted by shoplifters, according to staff, who are now refusing to work there alone.

Mrs Moneypenny, who has seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild, said: “They think we’re an easy target but I’m not going to stand back and let them walk out with stuff.

“On Friday, the shop was quite busy and there was a queue at the till. I could see this old devil misbehaving, while at the same time another group of undesirables came in.

“I buzzed someone to come out onto the shop floor and the assistant manager Yvonne came out. But I’m braver than her and she was getting a bit nervous.

“I said ‘you stay here and I’ll go after him’. He called me a silly old cow and marched out of the shop.”

But instead of backing down, the courageous pensioner chased him down the road. “I was so angry I didn’t even think about what could happen,” she said.

It’s not the first time she has confronted thieves. “Another time I chased one out with a wooden coat hanger,” she said. “I’m the battling great-granny.”

Assistant manager Yvonne Larcombe said the theft problem was getting worse.

She said: “We’re an easy target because there’s not enough of us to stop it. There’s usually one person on the till and then someone else.

“Some people seem to think it’s their right to take from us. They think they are a charity themselves. We get them all the time. I think it’s worse than in other normal shops. It’s very intimidating.”

Mrs Larcombe said the British Heart Foundation had a new policy stating volunteers should be able to work on their own, but staff are so far refusing.

Explaining why, she said: “I was in on my own one Sunday and a man came in saying he wanted a pair of trainers.

“I said he had to pay and he said he had no money – he was big and drunk and holding two bottles. He said he was taking them anyway. I couldn’t stop him.

“We had another person one time just sliding the bric-a-brac stuff off the shelf and into their bag.”

CCTV has been installed in the shop to replace the fake cameras and the team has a radio which alerts authorities about trouble.

The hat thief is described as white, aged 60 to 65, and of medium build with short, straight grey hair. He was wearing a grey jacket and trousers and carrying a bag.

Anyone with information should call police on 01843 222289, quoting reference ZY/036902/16.