SHOPPERS have been warned to be alert following a spate of purse thefts in Kidderminster town centre.

In the space of one afternoon, two women in their 50s had their purses stolen, while they were in Woolworths and Sainsburys, respectively.

The Woolworths theft happened at around 2.10pm on Monday last week, when two women brushed past the victim.

One of the women was described as being of Asian or Eastern European appearance, in her 20s, with long, dark hair parted in the middle and a black, ankle-length coat and, possibly, a dark brown chiffon scarf.

The Sainsburys theft was carried out between 2.30pm and 3pm the same afternoon. A purse containing £16 cash was taken from a bag on a trolley when the victim turned away for a few seconds.

There had also been three similar thefts, from victims all aged in their 70s or 80s, in Tesco, Safeway and the town centre, on Thursday, April 28.

In the Tesco incident, the victim recalled a woman with a foreign accent asking her about the price of some fruit. It was believed the purse was taken from the victim's bag on the trolley while she was distracted.

Both the Tesco and Safeway thefts involved small amounts of cash. In the town centre theft, however, £380 was taken and the victim was left extremely distressed.

Kidderminster town centre beat manager, PC Clive Llewellyn, said: "We have had a series of purse and bag thefts since the new year in supermarkets and town centre stores.

"We are working closely with CCTV operators and shop staff to tackle this problem and staff are being asked to be particularly vigilant at the moment, both in terms of looking out for thefts and warning shoppers if they feel they are particularly vulnerable, for example by having their bag open.

"In the meantime, we are reminding shoppers to keep purses securely zipped away in bags and to hold bags close to the body.

"They should be particularly careful when someone brushes past them or tries to distract them."

He added that shopper should never leave bags unattended on a shopping trolley, saying: "Even turning away for a second to select an item from the shelves gives thieves an opportunity to strike."