A SHOP owner told how she is being taunted by thieves dressing children in stolen clothes and boasting about it online.

Bundles of clothes were taken from Mi Matilda and when the boutique posted on Facebook about the theft a picture appeared from the alleged thieves stating “already put one on” together with a picture of an unidentifiable child.

Phone calls to the store followed confessing to the crime after goods worth about £1,500 were taken on Friday.

Najia Jones, 39, owner of Mi Matilda, said: “I am gutted. They stole a lot of clothes worth a lot of money.

“It’s hard enough to run a business and you see big stores like Debenhams closing down and my shop is a small business - it’s not easy, and I’ve got three kids.

“I just can’t believe someone would do this - just help themselves to my stock and then to start taunting me about how they’ve stolen them.”

Najia, from Benfleet, opened Mi Matilda in 2016.

The bespoke boutique sells luxury Spanish Childrenswear from the shop in High Road, Benfleet. The businesswoman says she even gave the crooks an opportunity to return the clothing only to be taunted even more.

She said: “Two women walked in with a little girl and were picking up loads of stuff so a member of staff tried to help and asked the women if they wanted her to take some of the stuff off their hands and they said no.

The next thing we knew they had just bolted out the shop and my worker chased them, bless her - but they got into a car outside the Co-Op and drove off.

There were plenty of witnesses who saw them including a taxi driver who was outside. Then someone called the shop asking us questions about when we closed.

Then they turned around and said ‘Well I stole your clothes - thanks hun - then they posted on the shop’s Facebook page.”

Police are investigating.

Anyone with information call 101 quoting 42/57093/19.