A grandmother has been left shaken after her handbag was stolen from her in Letchworth town centre this afternoon.

To make matters worse, the handbag contained £270 which was intended to go towards the cost of flowers for her grandson who passed away at the age of 27 four days ago.

The 66-year-old had been to Morrisons and was carrying her shopping along Station Way at about 2.30pm when a young man grabbed her black leather handbag and pushed her to the ground, leaving her with bruised ribs.

He is described as white, with a slim build, about 5ft 6ins tall and wispy side burns, and was wearing a blue puffer jacket, baggy blue jeans a dark woolly hat – and he ran off in the direction of The Meads.

The grandaughter of the victim, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: “My nan is obviously very shaken. “I can’t believe that something like this could happen in broad daylight.

“I am very angry.

“We are praying that people can help us catch this man. The police think that she was targeted.

“My nan is now afraid to leave the house and all while she is going through one of the hardest periods of her life with the loss of her grandson.”

Anyone with any information about the incident is urged to contact Det Con Sarah Walshingham via the police non-emergency number 101.