TWO thieves who sneaked into a 98-year-old woman's home as she slept in a chair have been condemned as "gutless, low-lifes" by neighbours.

Production worker Mr Rob Jennings and another neighbour chased the man and woman through local streets after they grabbed a handbag from the living room of the pensioner's home in Chesham Road, Bury, on Sunday afternoon.

Mr Jennings was only seconds away from catching the offenders who managed to lock themselves in a red Ford Sierra before driving away at speed. The passenger side window was smashed as Mr Jennings tried to reach into the car and grab the keys.

Mr Jennings said: "These people may be classed as thieves but to me they are just gutless, low-life criminals who targeted an old lady who would not be able to fight back." The victim was still asleep in her chair when a neighbour went in to check on her welfare as the pursuit took place.

Mr Jennings said: "The woman began to wake when the man was leaving her house. She has very poor eye-sight and thought it was a dog or a cat running out.

"She wasn't aware of what had happened."

Neighbours became suspicious when they saw the man enter the house while his female accomplice waited by the garden gate.

Mr Jennings added: "No-one had seen the people before and they looked really suspicious. Everyone had a gut feeling that something was wrong and a neighbour and I gave chase. The adrenaline just took over and I was angry. I wanted to catch these people and was only inches away from doing so."

Detectives investigating the incident said the man was of mixed-race origin, 5ft 10ins tall, slim, with short, dark crinkled hair. He wore a beige checked shirt.

The woman was white, 5ft 5ins tall, approximately 27 years old, with long dark hair in a pony tail. She was wearing a pink cardigan, black trousers and a bra top.

The getaway car registration was, or similar to, D324 BLW

Anyone with information about the incident or the two thieves should contact Bury CID on 0161 856 8150.