A WOMAN attacked by three hooded teenagers trying to steal her mobile phone managed to fight them off and hold on to the phone.

Tesco worker Louise Rae, 25, was walking towards the Ferndown store on March 19 when the three youths, thought to be about 15 years old, tried to snatch her phone, which she was holding while she deleted a text message.

She said: "There was no way I was going to let them have my phone.

"I held on to it and it turned into a bit of a tug of war.

"I think they were a bit shocked I wasn't giving in as quickly as they thought I would."

When faced with Miss Rae's determination, the would-be robbers let go of the phone and pushed her to the ground, leaving her shaken and upset. The incident happened at 8.30pm when Miss Rae was going along Penny's Walk towards the Tesco store to get hold of her work schedule for the following week.

She said the large groups of teenagers hanging around in the car park by the town centre store are a regular problem and many people find them intimidating.

She said she had gone around the pedestrian walk to try to avoid a group of youngsters she recognised from previous problems she had encountered while at work.

She did not know her three attackers.

"It is a huge problem. I only work three days a week and I do one shift a week until 10.30pm and there is always some sort of issue.

"They are either coming in trying to buy alcohol or to steal stuff or intimidating customers."

The car park, which is also next to the Barrington Theatre, the community centre and the public toilets, has long proved to be a magnet for teenagers, many of whom are simply using it as a meeting place and are not associated with the actions of a minority.

Police are appealing for anyone who may have seen anything at the time Miss Rae was attacked to call them on 01202 or 01305 222222 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.