A SUPERMARKET claims it has cut shoplifting by 30 per cent after pursuing thieves in the civil courts.

Asda, in West Swindon, has sued 30 thieves since the start of this year under a pioneering scheme called "civil recovery".

Under the project, shoplifters not only face criminal proceedings if they get caught but also civil action to recoup the supermarket's costs.

According to store security manager, Charles Ross, the supermarket has taken the action after becoming fed up with the light sentences being handed out to shoplifters in the criminal courts.

He said that typically shoplifters at his store have been let off with a conditional discharge or given a fine of £50.

A conditional discharge means no action is taken as long as the criminal does not re-offend within a certain time span.

He said: "We are one of a number of retailers who have decided to tackle shoplifting. The courts are generally lenient on shoplifting because they see it as a soft crime."

Every time Asda store detectives catch a thief they call the police and pass on their details to a company called Retail Loss Prevention.

It then writes to them threatening further court action unless they pay costs to the supermarket of between £90 to £150. The costs include staff time, use of CCTV and lost or damaged goods.

In the majority of cases the thieves pay up. If they refuse, they can be taken to court and Retail Loss Prevention has cases of shoplifters being faced with legal costs of thousands of pounds. Those who ignore a court summons or fail to attend court could even end up in prison.

Asda in West Swindon has, on average, a shoplifting incident every day.

Mr Ross would not reveal by how much shoplifting incidents had been reduced, but said the figures for this year are 30 per cent down compared with the same period last year.

Asda is also using civil recovery against people seeking fraudulent refunds even against its staff who have been caught with their hands in the till.

When asked how thieves react after being told they are going to be sued Mr Ross said: "The reaction is one of surprise and disappointment. This has proved very successful in reducing the number of shoplifters."

Asda Wal-Mart, in the Northern Orbital Park, is also taking part. This year it has sued 20 shoplifters.

A host of other retailers have signed up with Retail Loss Prevention on a national level including Boots, BHS, Currys, Debenhams, Dixons, Tesco, Safeway and Smiths.

But according to Retail Loss Prevention, Asda has been particularly rigorous in enforcing the scheme.

Civil recovery was piloted in 1998.

Tesco spokeswoman Karen Marshall said the firm piloted the idea about five years ago and was so impressed that it rolled the scheme out to stores nationwide.

Some two million store thieves are caught each year of these 150,000 are estimated to reach the courts or receive a police caution.