On Friday's Good Morning Britain, Kate Garraway and co-host Ranvir Singh were discussing how shoplifting in England and Wales is at a 20 year high

Kate Garraway recalled a harrowing shoplifting encounter she witnessed on Friday's Good Morning Britain.

During the latest instalment, the ITV programme discussed how shoplifting in England and Wales is at a 20 year high, asking "should you intervene if you witness an incident".

They also spoke to show guests, CBeebies presenter Nigel Clarke, whose 16-year-old daughter, Sienna, was left with a black eye after a terrifying mugging in London.

The father and daughter explained how someone had tried to steal Sienna's phone on the tube to which she "stood her ground" resulting in the muggers hitting her in the face.

This prompted Kate, 58, to open up about a recent harrowing incident she witnessed in a shop.

Kate said: "I had a situation in a shop, actually, I'd gone in and there was a member of staff in the shop who had grabbed a shoplifter by the back of the collar and the shoplifter was punching the woman.

"Instinctively, I had perhaps the opposite reaction to you. I just shouted out, 'It's not worth it. Let him go. It's not worth it. Let him go.' I was just screaming. It was about sort of 10 yards away.

"I didn't get involved. I just said, 'Let him go, let him go, let him go.' He ran and actually the security guards at the door did grab him.

"But I just thought there's a young woman, small, big guy that was doing the shoplifting, could have had a knife. I didn't know.

"I think maybe that makes me not a hero, but, well, it does, doesn't it? But I kind of felt for her. I felt for her that she shouldn't risk her life for that.

"But I guess what's different for you is when you're in the situation, a different instinct kicks in. I bet if you saw your dad being attacked, maybe you'd have felt differently."

She added: "I feel for shop workers, I think that they shouldn't be allowed to tackle it. I'm not sure other people in a shop should either."

Good Morning Britain airs Monday to Friday at 6am to 10am on ITV and ITV X.