Life in deprived Birmingham street where shoplifters sell stolen Zara and M&S for £5

Lozells trader explains how local customers are being pushed away from shops as area blighted by shoplifters, violence and drug dealing

Desperate shoplifters are stealing from major high street names to sell in one of Birmingham's most deprived areas, a shopkeeper has claimed. Thieves are stealing from popular brands like Zara and Marks & Spencer - only to flog the items where they know they'll sell.

Clothing and shoes are being sold for as little as £5 in a Lozells street, with offenders then using the cash for their next drug hit, the anonymous trader said. Asking not to be named, he said he was offered illicit goods every time he walked along Villa Road to work.

He said he believed thieves were stealing from major stores in Birmingham city centre before travelling to where they knew the items would sell without issue.

READ MORE: Everything we know about Lozells murder as police hunt killer

The shopkeeper, a dad to four children, told BirminghamLive: "I've seen brands like Zara or Marks and Spencer - they're selling shoes for £5 to £10, new ones in the boxes. They're probably going to town or other shops and coming selling here.

"There's always someone who will buy. They get the money, that's why they keep coming back here. You see a lot of people from outside, in the mornings they come here and the shoplifters, they know they'll get customers around here and there's no-one to stop them.

"I've seen them selling with my own eyes, when you go on Villa Road they're offering you. They say 'do you want to buy anything'; they're selling clothes, shoes, anything they're selling, groceries, anything.

"You'll see them and you'll know what they're doing to make some money and buy their drugs and that's it." But the loitering shoplifters are far from the only problem pushing customers away from Lozells.

This week, police launched a murder probe as a man was found dead, and another was left fighting for his life after violence in adjoining Hunters Road.

Police were trying to establish what happened and were still hunting the killer with witnesses urged to come forward. Trouble had been spiralling in the area for the past few years, the 50-year-old trader said.

He said he often saw fights erupting between groups of men on Villa Road, and drug dealing had become a "main problem" for the area. He added: "After midnight there's lines of them at the cashpoints because they got paid every night. After 12am you'll see the queue up there, waiting for the cash point, take the cash and buy drugs.

"The parking isn't helping at all this area. Police and council should do something. No customers want to walk on the Villa Road now.

"A lot of guys are standing on the roads, fighting. Nobody wants to go in the shops. It's definitely affecting the traders. Parking, dumping rubbish, fights, there's a lot of issues, not just one." West Midlands Police said it is aware of concerns from local residents and business owners, adding that patrols had been stepped up amid the murder probe.

Det Insp Sara Beech, from Birmingham Police, said: “We have met with partners including the local authority this week, and we are working together to ensure that the area is a safe environment for both residents and business owners.

"There will be an increased presence in the area, and we encourage members of the public to speak with officers and share their concerns. We are here to speak with and listen to community concerns. If you see anything suspicious, report it immediately by calling 999 or 101. Alternatively, you can contact us via Live Chat on our website, and we will investigate.”