A WOMAN had her purse stolen while out shopping, after which money was taken from her account with the bank card.

The woman was out shopping at the Waitrose in Chantry Fields, Gillingham.

When she went to pay, she discovered her purse was missing.

At about 1.30pm on the same day, one of the cards that was in the purse was used at the Co-Op store in Mere for a £24.47 transaction.

The reported incident took place on Monday, October 21, and police are now sharing the CCTV image of a suspect and are appealing for anyone who can identify him to come forward.

Inspector Simon Perry, of North Dorset police, said: "Officers have been carrying out enquiries into this incident and have made efforts to identify a man captured on CCTV who is believed to have used the stolen card.

"However, we have so far been unable to identify him and I would urge anyone who knows who he is to please contact us."

Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police at dorset.police.uk, via email 101@dorset.pnn.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting occurrence number 55190166393. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via crimestoppers-uk.org