Police today urged women to carry personal alarms or whistles after a spate of late-night attacks.

This follows three attacks on women robbed while walking in Yeadon and Horsforth.

Detective Inspector Steve O'Callaghan of Weetwood Police, said women out at night time should be on their guard at all times and should, if at all possible, make it difficult for someone to pull their shoulder or handbags from them.

He said: "If they are out at night then I would suggest they are accompanied by someone. People can buy personal attacker alarms which can be obtained from the crime prevention officer at Weetwood Police Station."

In the latest incident a 56 year-old woman was walking in Green Lane, Yeadon, which was dimly lit, at 8.30pm on September 24. She heard someone running behind her and the next thing she knew a youth had grabbed her shoulder bag and pushed her into the road. She in turn grabbed the bag but the youth managed to steal it, ran away and it is possible he got into a car.

And a 21 year-old woman was robbed while walking across the Cragg Road playing fields at Horsforth. A man pushed her, grabbed her purse after she fell and then kicked her said Det Inspector O'Callaghan. As well, a 72 year-old woman who had got off a bus in New Road Side, Horsforth, was attacked and robbed in nearby Victoria Drive at 8.45pm on September 23.

The Yeadon attacker is described as white, aged 15-17 years and between 5ft 5ins and 5ft 10ins tall. The first Horsforth attacker was white, aged about 20. The man who attacked the elderly woman was black, about 30 and 5ft 10ins tall.

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