A POLICE officer who saw shoplifter Lorraine Pennington enter a town centre shop watched through the window as she helped herself to two watches.

But Blackburn magistrates heard the officer then allowed Pennington to go and collect her children from school after she promised to report to the police station the following day.

Pennington, 30, of Bridge Mill Road, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to theft from New Look and was remanded on bail until February 21 for the preparation of pre-sentence reports.

Roger Pickles, defending, said Pennington was a reformed drug addict but the theft was not drug related.

He said one of her childrens' PE kit had gone missing and she had used some of her benefits to replace it. "That upset the very finely balanced household budget and she was left without enough money for the gas," said Mr Pickles.

"All credit to the officer who arrested her outside the shop but let her go to collect her children on condition that she attended at the police station the following day, which she did."