ACTIVISTS have carried out a mass shoplifting campaign of “liberating” boxes of food from supermarkets to food banks.

Take Back Power said supporters in London, Manchester, Exeter and Truro “took back” food and necessities from supermarkets and redistributed them to local food banks on Saturday.

The campaign group said: “What’s legal isn’t necessarily an indication of what’s moral or right,” and it was “necessary for ordinary people to be stepping into action given the scale of crisis our country faces.”

Take Back Power, which describes itself as a non-violent civil resistance group, said activists entered supermarkets and began putting food into boxes marked “these things are going to those that need them.”

The Metropolitan Police said no arrests had been made in London as officers were told by shop staff that a member of the group subsequently paid for the items.

Take Back Power denied paying for the items but said activists had set up a stall that was technically still on the property of the supermarket, meaning no crime was committed, according to the group, because none of the produce actually ended up leaving the site.