Thieves grab Harris Tweed and cashmere on 'lawless' Royal Mile

Mr Singh Gold said on some occasions thieves had gone into shops during the day and looked at staff "dead in the eye" while picking up piles of cashmere and other expensive items.

One staff member has been punched in the face while others have been knocked to the floor.

Some say they receive intimidation and abuse if they try to apprehend thieves.

Mr Singh Gold added: "We have lost several good members of staff because they feel threatened and unsafe at work now.

"We have had staff threatened at work saying 'I know which bus you catch on the way home and I'm going to be waiting for you'.

"We are sick of calling the police and making reports and downloading CCTV and then nothing happens."

Calling the problem a "theftdemic" Mr Singh Gold said he was going to have to employ security guards during the day at £8,000 a month.

He said the thieves watched his stores for opportunities to lift whole baskets of products before slipping down nearby closes.

"It's shocking that it's allowed to take place on the most prestigious street in the country," he said.

"The city centre has become lawless and this is where they are getting the brazenness because they know that the systems we have in place with the policing and the control of crime has failed."

Sabine Fischlin, manager of the Woollen Mill on the Royal Mile, said the situation had been getting "significantly worse" since August.

Now staff remove all the Harris Tweed handbags from the shop windows before closing.

She said: "We feel unsafe, stressed and staff members are feeling constantly on edge.

"We are expecting it to happen at any moment and it's affecting some staff member's sleep at this point.

"We are in contact with police on almost a daily basis at this point."

Police confirmed that a 43-year-old man had recently been charged over thefts from two shops on the Royal Mile in October.

Ch Insp Mark Hamilton, of Police Scotland, said the force was "fully aware" of ongoing issues with thefts in the area.

He said there was a dedicated team working with businesses and that police carried out regular patrols.

He said: "I can assure everyone that we are investigating all incidents reported to us.

"We work closely with the retail and business sectors to deter, prevent and investigate retail crime.

"Where we identify businesses which are being targeted by shoplifters, we have trained officers who can attend and carry out security surveys and offer advice around prevention."