Is there a future for Britain’s honesty boxes?

Dr David Wilson, an emeritus professor of criminology at Birmingham City University, does not subscribe to the view that Britain is becoming less honest.

“Life often appears to have been better ‘back then’,” he says. “But I would question that.

“Take the so-called Blitz Spirit of the Second World War. There is this notion today that everyone went around with a stiff upper lip, that everyone was in it together, united in the fight against the Nazis.

“In actual fact, however, the crime rate in London doubled, so in reality there were a lot of people who were very much in it for themselves, not behaving honestly.”

Dr Matt King-Parker, a lecturer in forensic psychology at University of Lincoln, is keen to explore the motivation behind the thefts.

He says: “There are two main motivations at play. Typically, people steal either to survive – to feed themselves, essentially – or in order to sell items to pay for illegal substances – drugs.

“In the case of cakes, and other small items, it’s unlikely someone would make a large amount of money from selling such stolen items.

“We know a lot of people are struggling at the moment.”