Bag burglaries linked

They took place on Saturday May 1 - the first being the incident in Peartree Lane reported in last week's Observer.

Around 3.30pm that afternoon a disabled woman was robbed of her handbag while she and her husband were at home.

It is believed the thief entered the property through the front door whilst she was upstairs and her husband working in the garden.

The brown leather handbag had a long strap for wearing across the body and contained a brown wallet with a number of credit and debit cards, driving licence and a rail card. A small but unknown amount of cash was also in the bag.

The second burglary was at 7.30pm that evening in Market Road, Battle.

The suspect entered a house via the front door whilst the 87-year-old occupant was in the kitchen.

The suspect was surprised by the occupant in the hallway, but shook the victim's hand, made some excuses and left.

However, a purse containing 60 and jewellery were stolen from up-stairs.

The suspect is described as a white man, late 20's, with a bald or shaved head and was wearing blue jeans.

Police are appealing for witnesses to contact them on 0845 60 70 999 quoting serial's 1235 or 1639 of 01/05.

Sussex Police advise house holders to keep their front doors shut and locked, plus ground floor windows, in order to avoid opportunistic thefts over the Summer months.