A homeless woman has been hailed a hero after bravely confronting a burglar who almost got away with with thousands of pounds worth of shop goods.

Staff at LUSH soap shop in Oxford were stunned to discover they had been burgled in the early hours of Wednesday.

The store laptop was missing, as well as expensive soaps and products.

But they were even more shocked when homeless woman Lottie, who often sleeps outside the Cornmarket Street shop, popped in the next day to say she had rescued the goods.

Last night a LUSH fundraising campaign for Lottie and the city's home had raised more than £3,000.

Manager James Atherton said Lottie's suspicions had been aroused when a man approached the shop at about 3am.

The 26-year-old from Abingdon Road said: "She saw this man trying to get in and she knows all of us as well as our delivery drivers so she knew he was not a LUSH guy.

"She went up and asked where he was from and tested him by asking if he was waiting for Ben the manager.

"He said he was but there is no Ben who works here, so she knew something was wrong.

"He then went away and we are not sure how he got in, the police are still looking into that.

"But when he came out with our laptop and about £1,000 worth of products she confronted him and said she knew he was not from LUSH.

"He was so surprised about it he gave her all the stuff and then ran off."

Lottie was accompanied by her huge dog Marley, who was instantly suspicious of the man trying to get in to the popular soap shop and growled at him as he left the store.

When Mr Atherton and his staff came in to work later they discovered the theft and were still counting the cost of the stolen items when Lottie returned them the next day.

Trainee manager Rachel Ross said staff were "blown away" by what Lottie had done.

Miss Ross, 23, added: "Marley is very well known and very friendly.

"One of the reasons Lottie was nervous of this man was because Marley started growling -she knew he didn't trust him."

LUSH staff have given Lottie a huge hamper full of food and treats to say thank you, and a fundraising page has been set up to raise money for Lottie and for homeless charities in the city.

Miss Ross said: "Lottie is a beautiful lady and we know her well. We just know her as Lottie and don't even know how old she is.

"We are one of the only shops in Oxford where people don't pee in our doorway because she protects us.

"We were greatly moved by her selfless actions in protecting us, and want to thank her from the bottom of our hearts.

"Homeless budgets are continually being cut and services destroyed in Oxford.

"There is dwindling support for vulnerable people and we must fight it.

"It is our responsibility to speak out, volunteer, become active in challenging these governmental cuts, and the stigma against homeless people."

Thames Valley Police spokesman Gareth Ford-Lloyd said: "We were called to an attempted burglary at a business property in Cornmarket Street, Oxford, at about 3.30am on Wednesday.

"There were reports that goods and a laptop had been taken.

"These were reportedly returned by a member of the public.

Mr Ford-Lloyd added officers were continuing to investigate the incident.

If you know Lottie call the Oxford Mail newsdesk on 01865 425445 or email news@nqo.com

To donate to Lottie click here.