Most people are basically honest

A shopkeeper took a gamble on the honesty of festive shoppers by opening his store but leaving it unattended so that his staff could have Boxing Day off.

Tom Algie, 47, unlocked the doors of Practically Everything, his do-it-yourself shop in Settle, North Yorkshire, and put out a makeshift honesty box so that customers could help themselves. The only pressure to pay was a note attached to the box, made from a plastic funnel and a cereal box, wishing visitors a merry Christmas...

The total was £187.66. A stock check showed that nothing had been stolen. “I didn't think twice about leaving the shop open,” Mr Algie said. “Settle is a lovely quiet rural town and there's never any trouble here. I put my faith in my customers and I wasn't disappointed.”