Purse stolen from woman in town (From Warrington Guardian)

Purse stolen from woman in town

1:00pm Wednesday 8th August 2012 in News By Barbara Jordan

A PARTIALLY-SIGHTED elderly woman had her pension stolen as she went for a cup of tea.

The 86-year-old, who lives in Widnes town centre, was going up the escalators in Debenhams in Warrington, when she felt someone squeeze past her.

She only discovered her money had been stolen when she came to pay at the till in the top floor restaurant.

The pensioner, too nervous to be named, said:”It did shake me up quite a bit.

“I felt a closeness on the escalator. I got that feeling it was a young one.

“It could have been worse. People have been dragged down and injured.”

She immediately reported the theft to the police, who scanned CCTV images but found no-one acting suspiciously.

The woman had withdrawn two weeks’ pension, £540, from Warrington Post Office.

She said she managed to get by without the money and is more upset at having lost a precious black and white photograph of her son, who died from an asthma attack.

She said: “He was such a lovely person, I really treasured that picture.”

Her cash and the photograph were tucked in a tan coloured leather pension book wallet, inside a shopping bag.

She said: “I love Warrington. I’ve been going twice a week for about 30 years.

“I enjoy the bus ride and going round the shops.

“This has made me more cautious. I don’t carry as much money with me anymore and I always make sure my bag is zipped up securely.

“I don’t want revenge, I just want to warn other people to be careful.”

The theft happened between 12 noon and 1pm on Wednesday, June 27.

A Cheshire Police spokesman said: “Police are appealing to anyone who witnessed the incident or was in the area at the time and might have seen anyone acting suspiciously to come forward.

"We would urge all residents to remain alert and to be aware of their surroundings, keep a close eye on your handbag, purse or wallet at all times.

"Many people do not realise just how quickly a thief can steal a purse or wallet without anyone even realising it has gone missing.

"We take any reports of these sorts of incidents seriously and we want to reassure members of the public that we will continue to take positive action against anyone who is found to be responsible for this type of crime."

Anyone with information can call Cheshire Police on 101 .