Beware of men shouting 'potatoes' - UK thief targets supermarket shoppers

A thief shouts "potatoes, potatoes, potatoes" before pickpocketing people in Britain.

The crook makes the bizarre outbursts to distract members of the public shopping in fruit and vegetable aisles in supermarkets before pinching their purses and wallets.

Hilary Brown, 59, said the thief took her father and stepmother's valuables in a supermarket in Surrey, south east England, after shouting "potatoes, potatoes, potatoes" at the top of his voice to distract them.

She told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "He distracted my father by shouting out all these vegetable names.

“My father thought ‘you’re a bit strange’ but thought nothing of it and carried on shopping.

"Later he realised his wallet had been taken out of his back pocket and my stepmother’s purse had been taken out of her handbag, which had been in her bag hanging on the back of the trolley.

“He must have unzipped her bag, taken it and zipped it back up.”