AN elderly woman was left shaken after being confronted by a masked car thief while she waited for her husband in a town centre car park.

The 75-year-old woman's ordeal took place in Darlington's Beaumont Street car park, yards from the busy Grange Road shopping area.

The woman was sitting in the couple's R-registered BMW 318 at 5pm on Monday when she heard the driver's door open.

She turned, expecting her husband, but was confronted by a man wearing a balaclava, who told her: "Get out. I won't hurt you."

Detective Sergeant Alec Francis, of Darlington police, said: "Petrified by the incident, the lady picked up her handbag and got out."

The man drove off in the dark blue car, registration R279 HAN, towards the Feethams roundabout, the keys having been left in the ignition.

A number of people were in the area at the time of the theft, and detectives are examining closed-circuit security television footage to try to obtain clues to the thief's identity.

Det Sgt Francis said: "It has been a very distressing and disturbing incident and the potential consequences could have been far graver."

The attack follows a sporadic increase in the number of daylight handbag and purse snatches this month at various locations in the town.

Also on Monday, a woman was approached from behind in Morrison's supermarket car park, at Morton Park, as she went to put her shopping in the boot of her car at 10.55am.

The thief pulled her handbag from her shoulder and drove off in a waiting car.

Police are following leads from witnesses who were in the area and saw the attacker leaving the scene.

But, detectives have assured people that the level of violent crime in the town is no worse than other similar sized communities.

Det Sgt Francis said: "We do have violent crime, but no more or no less than any other town with such a big population."

l A 26-year-old Middlesbrough man is due to appear before magistrates in Darlington on April 9, charged with robbery of a woman in her fifties in Crown Street on March 19.

He pleaded guilty to the offence at a previous hearing.

Anyone who has any information about any of these crimes is asked to contact Darlington police on (01325) 467681, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.