A German shoplifter who ran off with expensive cosmetics was caught after leaving her six-year-old daugher behind.

Birgit Mahler, 33, stuffed the cosmetics worth £80 in her handbag and left the shop in the German city of Sonthofen without paying.

But a security tag set off an alarm, and as soon as she heard it Mahler ran off down the road before staff could react.

A police spokesman said: "She showed staff a clean pair of heals, unfortunately she forgot about her six-year-old daughter who was left standing alone wondering where her mother had gone."

Store staff called police and they collected the child together with a social worker.

The spokesman added: "The girl's father turned up to report the child missing and seemed genuinely surprised to hear how his daughter had been lost.

"We took down the details of the mother and have arranged to interview her over the incident."