ELDERLY people have been urged to take care of their belongings after an attempted theft in Hartlepool town centre.

Police officers fear a spate of attacks which happened last summer in the York Road area could be starting again after an 81-year-old was targeted by a thief on Wednesday.

The woman was standing at a bus stop outside the Barnardo's charity shop in York Road when two plain-clothed policemen saw a man approach her and delve into her handbag.

He continued to search in the bag, knocking her gloves to the floor, until a passer-by asked him what he was doing.

He claimed to be returning her gloves to her but was arrested. The woman was unaware of the man until the passer-by stopped him.

A spokesman for Hartlepool police said: "We would appeal to everyone, but especially the elderly, to keep their bags zipped up and in view at all times.

"We would also ask the general public to keep an eye on older people and make sure they are not being taken advantage of.

"We had a spate of these thefts last year, and we do not want any more vulnerable people to suffer."

Following the incident, 20-year-old Lee Scott Roberts, of the Dyke House area, was charged with attempted theft, and on Wednesday he pleaded guilty at Hartlepool Magistrates' Court and was remanded in custody awaiting sentence