A555 road

Macclesfield is a busy market town, while further south, Handforth Dean is a large out-of-town retail area beside the A34.

Stanley Green, close to the junction of the A34 and A555, is another busy retail destination.

The offending also crossed the boundary into Greater Manchester with incidents in Denton and Stockport.

The shops and supermarkets in these locations were staffed by numerous employees, and the hundreds of shoppers who went about their business were closely monitored by CCTV.