Self-checkout shoppers have revealed they use the tills to steal, according to a new poll.

The survey by Ipsos found that one in eight had selected a cheaper item than the one they were actually purchasing on a self-service till, The Telegraph reported.

If this was applied to the entire UK population, it would equate to six million people that have used self-checkouts have willingfully underpaid at stores.

Meanwhile, 8% of those polled said they had taken an item up to the value of £10 from a shop without paying and 13% had stolen something worth up to £1.

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However, 26% said they didn’t believe stealing goods worth under £10 should be an offence and 47% thought the same about shoplifting items priced at less than £1.

Almost half (48%) also believed that selecting a cheaper item on a self-service till than the one they were actually buying should not be treated as an offence.

It comes as shoplifting has in recent years, hitting its highest figure in 20 years. A total of 443,995 offences were reported by police in the year to March 2024, up 30% from the previous year’s figure of 342,428, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The number of self-checkouts in UK supermarkets has also risen to 80,000 as many stores adopt new technology.

Ipsos head of crime, cohesion and security Hannah Shrimpton told The Telegraph: “While a quarter of Britons admit to unintentionally failing to pay for an item, with a third finding this acceptable, the overwhelming majority think intentional theft is unacceptable, even of low-value items.

“This suggests a clear distinction in public perception: accidental oversights are seen by a minority at least as forgivable, and by most as not worth criminal sanction, while deliberate theft, regardless of value, faces strong disapproval.”

Last week, Morrisons unveiled plans to uninstall some of its self-checkouts as chief executive Rami Baitiéh admitted the technology had gone a “bit too far”. Asda also said that it would increase the number of staff on manned checkouts earlier this month.