Birmingham supermarket places instant coffee in security cases as price soars to £10.50 a jar

Jars of instant coffee are being kept in security cases at a Birmingham supermarket after the price soared to £10.50 a JAR.

The GPS tracking cases were spotted on shelves at the Co-op food and petrol shop at Harborne in Birmingham, today Tuesday (May 30).

It was also reported today the rate of price rises at UK supermarkets hit a new high in the year up to May due to coffee, chocolate and non-food goods. Prices for fresh food have fallen very slightly, but the cost of coffee has gone up.

The photos from the Birmingham shop show a £9.85 jar of Douwe Egberts and a jar of Kenco Smooth retailing for £10.50 - both in cases to deter shoplifters.

The cases come with a caution warning shoppers they will need to be removed at checkout before leaving the store, and shoplifters will be prosecuted. One shopper said: "I couldn’t believe it when I saw it. That price for a jar of instant coffee is unbelievable."

A Co-op spokesperson said: "Protecting the safety of our colleagues is a priority and we know shoplifting can be a flashpoint for violence against shopworkers so whilst this is not a nationwide policy, a decision to implement product security measures at a local level can be made, if a store is experiencing a particular issue."