A woman in her 60s was the victim of an attempted theft as she wandered through a church yard in Harpenden.

She was walking through St Nicholas’ Church yard in Church Green between 5.40-6pm on Thursday December 18 when she was approached from behind by a man who demanded she give him her bag.

However, according to a spokesperson from Herts Police, despite the man grabbing her bag the woman managed to hold on to it and, following a struggle, the would-be thief ran off in the direction of Church Green.

The suspect is described as a black man aged between 18 and 26 years old, around 6ft tall, of slim build.

He spoke with a London accent and was wearing dark clothing with a hood up.

Detective Constable Chris Fisher, investigating, said: “Thankfully the woman was uninjured during the incident and managed to keep hold of her belongings.

“I would like hear from anyone who saw what happened or who believes they may have seen a man matching this description in the area around that time.”

DC Fisher can be contacted via the Herts Police non-emergency number 101 or call Crimestoppers, the independent charity, anonymously on 0800 555 111.