An elderly woman suffered a broken hip during the latest in a series of “shocking” street robberies in the same town.

The 84-year-old was returning home from shopping when she was approached by a man who grabbed her handbag, causing her to stumble and fall into a flower bed outside a block of flats in Nab Lane, Shipley.

The woman was found by a member of the public who alerted the emergency services. She was taken to Bradford Royal Infirmary where she was needed an operation on her hip.

The attack follows a robbery on Wednesday, January 12, when an 89-year-old woman’s bag was snatched by a man in Iver Way, near the town’s Asda store, at around 3pm. A 40-year-old man from Shipley and a 36-year-old man from Frizinghall were arrested on suspicion of robbery and released on police bail pending further enquiries.

And on Monday, January 24, a 74-year-old woman had her shopping bags snatched by a man in Market Street, Shipley.

In the Nab Lane incident, which occurred at around 11am on Saturday outside Peploe House flats, the attacker was described as about 25, around 6ft tall with dark hair. He was wearing a dark-coloured sweater with a small-patterned design. The woman’s handbag was black and tan with a leopard-skin print. It contained a black purse, a light-blue debit card for Whiteaway Laidlaw bank, around £30 to £40 in cash and a bus pass.

Detective Inspector John Mountain, of Airedale and North Bradford CID, said: “This was a very shocking incident for the elderly lady and I am appealing to the public of Shipley if they have any information in relation to the offender of this, and the two incidents earlier in the month, to contact us as a matter of urgency. I would ask members of the public if they come across the stolen items to contact police immediately.”

Anyone with information should contact Airedale and North Bradford CID on 0845 6060606, or Crimestoppers, in confidence, on 0800 555 111.