AN ELDERLY woman said she has been left shaken after her handbag was stolen from her mobility trolley by an opportunistic thief.

The 89-year-old, who did not want to be named, was walking along Queens Road at the junction with Poole Road at around 3.30pm on Tuesday, April 7 when she was approached by a "polite" man.

The man asked her where the nearest shops were, and as the woman turned her back to point him in the direction of Westbourne, stole her handbag from the rollator trolley.

It is believed the callous crime was witnessed by a number of motorists, one of whom turned her car around and attempted to follow the man as he walked into Clarendon Road.

However, no arrests have yet been made.

The offence took place in the week that Duane Davis, of no fixed abode, was jailed for six years after shoving 87-year-old Lottie Evans to the ground as he stole her handbag.

The 30-year-old had helped Mrs Evans to carry her shopping bags before suddenly turning on her in Washington Avenue, Springbourne, in July 2014.

The victim of last Tuesday's incident said: "The man asked if there were some shops nearby, and I just turned around slightly to point him in the right direction.

"He said, 'Thank you very much', and off he went. I turned back to my rollator and saw my handbag was gone. He was walking away with my bag in his hand. I use my rollator because I can't walk very far without it any more, and if I don't have it I tend to fall over. He could see that I couldn't go after him, and he didn't even run - he just walked quickly away with it in his hand."

She added: "It's made me feel less confident to go out and about.

"I feel a bit shaken up by it. I still go out, but now I feel that I need to take taxis everywhere just in case. I'm sure I'll feel better soon but it has made me feel quite worried and shaken."

The suspect is described as white, around 5 feet 10 inches tall, in his early to mid thirties with dark hair. He was wearing black trousers and a jumper with a multi-coloured shirt underneath.

Two members of the public came to the woman’s aid immediately after the incident. Officers are keen to speak to them.

Anyone with information is asked to call Dorset Police in confidence on 101 quoting incident number 7:0261.