TWO shoppers had their purses stolen from their handbags in the space of minutes in a Warminster precinct on Friday afternoon.

At around 1.30pm a woman noticed that her purse, which contained around £60 in cash and bank cards, was missing from her handbag when she was in Three Horseshoes Walk.

Just minutes later another woman in the town centre precinct had her purse stolen which contained around £100 in cash and one bank card.

PC Amy Hardman, community co-ordinator for Warminster, said: “We are reminding people to never leave bags unattended, especially on shopping trollies, and to be aware of people around them at all times.

“Ideally, possessions should be spread around and not grouped together, for example a mobile phone should be kept separate from a set of keys, and these should also be separate from a purse.

"We know that this is not always practical, so we advise carrying your bags close to you with the clasp facing inwards, keeping bags zipped up, ensuring your purse or wallet cannot be seen and to never carry a PIN number with cards."

Wiltshire Police have a small number of fixed purse chains which can be obtained for free from local PSCSOs, or they can be bought for as little as £4 online.