A PENSIONER underwent surgery yesterday after being targeted by a vicious mugger during a shopping trip to France.

Mrs Doris Brown, in her 70s, was attacked as she left a restaurant in Calais on Saturday evening with her daughter Joan Grogan.

The former machinist from the Royal Ordnance Factory in Blackburn was operated on yesterday morning in a French hospital for a broken bone in her shoulder.

Mrs Grogan, who is said to be badly traumatised by the attack, is working with French police searching through photographs of known offenders to try and identify the attacker.

Mrs Brown, who lives in sheltered accommodation on Albion Street, Ewood, suffered the shoulder injury when the mugger snatched her handbag during the two day shopping break, organised through the Lancashire Evening Telegraph.

Her husband Alf and Joan's husband Peter, of Bog Height Road, Darwen, travelled to France on Sunday morning to comfort the couple.

Mrs Brown is expected to return to Lancashire tomorrow or Thursday.

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