They are successful, stylish women with flourishing careers and more than enough money to buy every creature comfort imaginable. Their regular haunts include Harvey Nichols, Tiffany and Space NK, but while their shopping trips always end with bags stuffed full of designer clothes, they do not always involve a trip to the till.

According to a report in the latest issue of Vogue, a significant number of middle-aged, well-to-do women have taken to shop lifting as a way to get their kicks. 'It's the only naughty thing I do in my life,' one woman tells the magazine. 'I don't get drunk, I don't take drugs, I eat healthily, I have a personal trainer, I work hard for a living, I pay my taxes, I don't cheat on my husband.