AN 88-year-old pensioner held a thief in a headlock after his friend was attacked on the way home from bingo.

But the attempt to thwart the robbery failed and the have-a-go hero ended up in hospital nursing bruised ribs.

The friends two women and a man were walking home along Cricklade Road after an evening at the New Century Club in Carpenter Street, Gorse Hill, when the attacker ran up from behind and tried to steal a handbag.

The robber grabbed the 82-year-old woman's shoulder strap, forcing her to the ground and smashing her head on the concrete, before pulling her along the street in a desperate attempt to snatch her bag during the attack at 10pm on Sunday.

The elderly man waded in and wrestled the robber to the floor where he held him in a headlock.

During the struggle the pensioner ripped the hood off the attacker's dirty yellow waterproof coat, but he wriggled free and snatched the handbag of the third pensioner, an 84-year-old woman who had been watching the scuffle. The attacker then ran off towards Bright Street.

Police later found the handbag in a garden. Around £20 had been stolen.

The 82-year-old woman suffered a fractured pelvis and minor head injuries and the man, severely bruised ribs. Both were taken to the Great Western Hospital but have since been discharged.

Police are now hoping the attacker's yellow hood, which has yet to be forensically examined, will provide them with a clue in their hunt for the attacker.

Det Sgt Kier Pritchard of Swindon CID said: "Although the injuries are serious it could have been far worse. Unfortunately this shows that perhaps we are not as safe as we once were and I encourage everyone to remain vigilant.

"This was a callous crime that has shattered the confidence of three respected members of this local community and I would urge people with information to come forward."

The attacker is described as a slim white man with short dark hair, around 5ft 8in tall and aged between his late teens and early 20s.

Anyone who witnessed the attack or has information as to the identity of the robber should call Swindon CID on 01793 528111.

Giles Sheldrick