A WOMAN was robbed as she walked down an alleyway on Monday night in St Albans.

The victim, in her 30s, was walking through an alleyway between The Ridgeway and Sherwood Avenue with her iPod on when she was approached from behind by a man at around 5.45pm.

When he attempted to steal from her back pocket she turned round and he ran off towards Caroline Sharpe House on Chiltern Road.

He’s described as white, between 18 and 22 years old and was wearing a woolly jumper with a shell-suit style jacket.

PC James Kier urged anyone with information to come forward and said: “This was an unpleasant ordeal for the victim, although fortunately the offender did not manage to take anything.”

He also added: “I would like to remind people, if they are walking or running by themselves and particularly after dark, to avoid using iPods and MP3s as this makes you less aware of who is around you and therefore more vulnerable to these kind of opportunistic offenders.”

To share any relevant information with the police, call the non-emergency number 101.