A PENSIONER confronted a robber on a bike after he stole her handbag.

Barbara Hobbs, 77, was walking between Broomfields and Moretons, in Pitsea, when the youth rode up behind her and grabbed her handbag and shopping bag.

However, as he rode off, the shoulder strap of Mrs Hobbs’s handbag got caught in his bike wheel’s spokes and he began to wobble Mrs Hobbs ran after the thief, who began to apologise for stealing her bag.

She wrestled her shopping bag free. However, the youth managed to ride off with her handbag, which contained her bus pass, medication, credit cards and 90 euros.

Mrs Hobbs, from Benfleet, said: “I had just got off the bus and was walking across the open area between Broomfields and Moretons to visit my son.

“The next thing this lad on a bike came hurtling past and he grabbed by two bags.

“The shoulder strap of my bag got caught up in his bike wheel as he rode off and he began to topple over.

“I didn’t think, I just ran after him. He started saying: ‘I am so sorry, I am sorry’.

“I managed to get my shopping bag back off him and because he was apologising I thought he was going to hand over my handbag. But he just rode off.

“I am annoyed about the 90 euros. They were left over from my holiday and I wanted to change them back and use them for Christmas presents.”

Mrs Hobbs said the incident had left her frightened. She added: “I was taken aback. It left me agog. I just went to my son’s house as quickly as I could.

“I was very shaken and just kept thinking ‘oh my God, he could have hurt me’.”

The thief is white, of slim build, between 5ft 8in and 6ft tall, with short brown hair.

He was riding a white mountain bike.

Mrs Hobb’s handbag was a navy Kangol bag with a long shoulder strap. Anyone with information is asked to call Essex Police on 101.