AN elderly blind woman from Nelson was left shaken after thieves snatched her bag as she made her way to church.

The 73-year-old, who did not want to be identified, had been walking along Temple Street in Nelson at around 10.45am on Sunday when her bag was stolen from her.

DC Ruth Chew, of Nelson CID, said: "She had just turned in to York Street when she was approached from behind. Someone grabbed her handbag and snatched it from her but she was not injured.

"It was an unpleasant attack on an elderly lady who is disabled.

"She is shaken by the experience and being blind made the ordeal even worse for her.

"She is obviously not able to describe the offender so if anyone else has seen anything at all in that area they should let us know."

The bag was a brown leather shoulder bag and contained £70 in cash, a purse and personal items.

Anyone with information about the incident should contact DC Chew on 01282 472644.