POLICE IN Arbroath yesterday appealed for witnesses to an incident in which an elderly, registered blind, widow had her handbag stolen by an opportunist thief.

The 80-year-old woman had left her bag on top of her shopping at the taxi rank outside the Abbeygate Shopping Centre and, while her back was turned, someone made off with the bag.

The bag was recovered a short time later in the doorway of the Burtons store in the Abbeygate but, while the woman’s blind aids and items of sentimental value were still inside it, £200 in cash was missing.

The woman, who did not wish to be named, said last night, “It’s a sad day when someone would take advantage of a partially-sighted old lady in this way, but the main thing is I got my blind aids and treasured photographs back.

“Losing the money, which I had just taken out of the bank, is bad enough, but at least I have got back the irreplaceable photographs of my late husband.

“I use a white stick to get around town and usually everyone is really nice and helpful, so I find it really quite sad that someone would do something like this and steal from a blind pensioner.”

A spokesman for Tayside Police said that the woman did not request medical attention and that inquiries into the incident were continuing.

The police spokesman urged any member of the public who was in the Abbeygate Centre at that time, and who may have seen anything suspicious or witnessed the theft, to contact Tayside Police on Forfar (01307) 302200 or speak to any police officer.