Police in Calne are searching for three eastern Europeans who targeted a 68-year-old woman shopping in the town centre and tried to steal her purse.

The woman, who uses a stick to help her walk, was approached by a woman in her thirties asking for directions on August 7 at 1.30pm.

She had just finished shopping at Sainsbury’s and was walking through an alleyway with her trolley when the woman stopped her and showed her a map.

She became suspicious when she saw this was a map of London and turned round to see two men reaching into her shopping trolley for her purse.

The group ran away when they were spotted but has been captured on CCTV provided by Sainsbury’s and the town council’s CCTV team.

They arrived in Calne at 12.39pm and left shortly after the incident around 2pm in a dark green Peugeot parked in Church Street.

Officers examining the footage saw the group circling the town and the two males talking to each other on phones.

PCSO Nicole Yates said people should be aware of potential thieves and make sure their belongings are secure.

Members of the public can use a security chain to attach their purse or wallet to their pocket and should keep their money zipped up in their bags.

PCSO Yates said: “She had her purse on top of her shopping trolley, but she obviously wasn’t expecting it to happen.

“It’s disgraceful. It’s basically picking on the vulnerable and elderly and we’re obviously going to take positive action if we catch anyone doing that sort of crime.

“It’s organised crime, that’s basically what they do. We know who they are and what they look like, should they come back we will recognise them.”

The woman is described as being short with dark hair tied up in a bun. She was wearing a pink top and light trousers.

Both men were of large build and were wearing checked shirts.

Anyone who can help to identify these three people should contact Wiltshire Police on 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.