Thieves stole a 93-year-old woman's purse from inside her mobility scooter while she was shopping.

The incident happened in Church Road, Paddock Wood, at just before 2pm on Saturday, April 6, while the woman was shopping in Waitrose.

She had been carrying her handbag in a compartment of her mobility scooter but left the scooter unattended near the bakery section.

CCTV caught images of a man wearing a dark top and dark trousers walking past her scooter before returning and reaching into the bag to grab the purse. He had entered the shop at 1.47pm and left just five minutes later having bought nothing.

The missing purse is turquoise, and in it were bank cards, the woman's bus pass and around £30 in cash.

Insp Simon Wilshaw from Tunbridge Wells police station said: “It is a terrible thing that opportunist thieves would seek to target the elderly and vulnerable like this. But what this shows is, even in a low-crime area like Tunbridge Wells District, you can’t be too careful when out shopping.

“Handbags should always be zipped up or fastened ...and, particularly, don’t leave belongings unattended."

If you can help police call PC Matthew Butcher on 101, quoting crime number YY/6629/13.