She had cash and credit cards in her wallet, and the £10 price tag was hardly going to break the bank, but instead of paying for it, Lisa opted for the ‘five-finger discount’.

She stole it.

Despite a comfortable and loving middle-class background – her parents are a teacher and a lawyer – art student Lisa, from London, has been shoplifting since she was 12.

Now 24, she nicks for kicks and is one of many young women willing to risk a criminal record for the ‘buzz’ of stealing items they could easily afford.

“I never think of the consequences because it’s not calculated – it’s a question of opportunity,” she says.

“I don’t steal any more now than I did in my teens and I don’t steal big things.

“It’s not about the money, I do it for the thrill.

"Glittery eyeshadow and pretty underwear are my favourite.

"I’m not proud of it, but I don’t feel guilty either.

“I don’t think I should be bracketed with professional shoplifters who make a profit out of it.

"I don’t. My stealing is different to theirs.

“And I have boundaries. If I found a purse in the street, I would hand it in to the police.

"But I have always thought of shoplifting as a victimless crime.”

The victim is the nation’s retail industry.

Shoplifting costs stores £16.5billion a year –and they’re cracking down.

Those caught are prosecuted and end up with criminal records.

Lisa says: “Thank God I’ve never been caught – it would be pretty humiliating.

“The worst thing would be facing my parents, who would be very disappointed.”

But even this fear is not enough to stop the habit she formed aged 12 when she ate sweets stolen from Woolworths by a friend.

Two years later, she shoplifted alone for the first time, stealing a pair of knickers from Miss Selfridge.

She recalls: “They were only about £3 so I thought: ‘What’s the point in paying?’ I hid them in my bag and when I got home, I was ecstatic.

“It’s still a thrill. If I see something I want, I get excited about the act of stealing it and the prospect of having it.”

However, Lisa is finding it harder and harder to justify her habit.

She says: “I only steal from big chains because it doesn’t make any difference to them.

“I admit that morally it is wrong, but somehow I justify it every time.

"If you manage to dodge a fare on the train, is that stealing?

"If someone gives you too much change, do you go back and correct them?

“I know my arguments don’t stand up to scrutiny and that stealing is stealing, but I never remember that at the time.

“And anyway, I give something back to society.

"I’m a volunteer social worker and give my time to a charity every Thursday – I’ve always thought that balances out my shoplifting.”

Lisa usually operates alone, but she does have a friend, Kate*, who shares her sense of adventure.

They feel the same jubilation from shoplifting as most female friends feel from watching chick flicks together or gossiping over a glass of wine.

It was with Kate that Lisa committed her most extravagant lift, a £50 pair of shoes.

“I was shopping in preparation for my friend’s wedding when I saw a gorgeous pair of red polka-dot platforms in Topshop and suddenly felt reluctant to pay for them,” she explains.

“Topshop’s shoe section is unbelievably lax, so once I had them on, I knew I could steal them.

"The tag was left in the box and I had my own pair of shoes in my hand.

"I saw Kate at the door, pretending to look at a pair of jeans.

“As I peeked over, she nodded and left the shop.

"I knew that meant ‘all clear’, so I simply stood up and walked out.

"I don’t think I would steal something that big ever again, but the rush was amazing.”

However, Lisa does admit it might be time to stop.

“I’m starting to feel embarrassed about it because it’s childlike behaviour which I’ve never grown out of,” she says.

“I am generally quite conscientious, so it’s nice to do something reckless without thinking.

"Ultimately, though, I do want to be a good person.”

What do you think of Lisa’s shoplifting? Have you ever stolen anything from a shop? If so, why did you do it? Did you feel guilty afterwards or was the adrenalin rush worth it?

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* Names have been changed

Photography: Dean Belcher, Alamy Hair and Make-Up: Sara Bowden

No payment has been made to Lisa for this interview