Chewing gum bolsters Romanian currency

Chewing gum is being stolen from shops in the UK for use in Romania as small change currency.

Hundreds of pounds worth of gum and small sweets are being nabbed from British shelves to help fuel Romania’s currency problems, where such small treats are offered by shopkeepers instead of coin change.

The Midlands and North Yorkshire are increasingly experiencing such thefts.  Thefts have been reported as far afield as Lincolnshire, Wimbledon, Cambridge and Wiltshire.

On 16 January two Romanian nationals were jailed for stealing £800 worth of chewing gum from stores in Worcester the previous day.  The two men, both from Hounslow in London, were ordered to spend seven days in prison.

Police research uncovered a number of addresses cropping up time after time, leading one officer to conclude: “They seem to come over for a few weeks and stay with people in London then drive back to Romania with the goods."

The British Retail Consortium spokeswoman said the thefts fitted with recent trends they had identified of shoplifting being carried out by "organised criminal gangs".  She feared that such thieves were more likely to be violent if confronted by staff as well as being better able to steal large amounts of goods.

Providing small change has been a problem for Romanian small shops for decades and it is not unusual to receive gum or sweets in its place.

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