An elderly woman had a tooth knocked out by a vicious street robber who thumped her in the face.

The 79-year-old was punched when she cried out for help as she was attacked in a snicket in Bradford.

She was taking a shortcut home through a ginnel, after collecting her weekly pension money from the post office in Clayton, when she was approached from behind by a man who grabbed her handbag.

The pensioner clung on to the bag as the mugger tried to tug it from her grasp. But after hitting her he was able to wrench it from her hand as she fell to the ground.

He then ran back down the snicket, which runs between Clayton Lane and The Avenue, in the direction of Clayton Lane.

The bag, which was black with a silver clasp, contained the woman's pension, a purse and bank and pension books.

The victim, who suffered bruising to her face, raised the alarm with a member of the public who alerted police. The pensioner declined to go to hospital.

Detective Inspector Melanie Siddall, of Bradford North CID, said it was a nasty, vicious and cowardly attack on a vulnerable lone woman.

She said: "He is a desperate individual to resort to that level of violence on someone so vulnerable and he needs catching."

She said the robbery happened very quickly and the victim only caught a glimpse of her attacker, who was white, in his late teens, about 5ft 7-8ins tall, and was wearing a red short coat or jacket.

She urged anyone who had seen someone hanging around the area, or has any knowledge of the mugger, to contact Detective Constable Ryan Senior on (01274) 376285, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

The robbery happened between 10.30am and 10.45am yesterday.