A woman had large sums of cash withdrawn from her bank after having her purse stolen from her car in Tesco car park in Amersham last month.

A man is believed to have distracted the woman while another person stole a purse from her car on August 29 at the London Road West site.

The 59-year-old victim had finished loading her shopping into her car and was returning her trolley to a nearby trolley rack in Tesco car park when she was approached by a man who asked her for directions.

While the pair were talking, at around 12.50pm, another person went into the car and stole a purse containing debit cards.

Large amounts of cash were then withdrawn from her account.

Reactive shift constable, PC Roy Evans, from Amersham police station, said: “It is believed that the victim was observed while paying for her shopping in store and her pin number was noted.

“We believe that the man who spoke to the woman, asking her for directions, did so in a bid to distract her whilst his accomplice went onto steal her purse.

“I would like to remind the public that they can easily be distracted and may not even be aware of a theft until their bank informs them of fraudulent usage.

“Never leave valuables in your car unattended and do not have the same pin number for all of your debit cards. “

Thames Valley Police have released CCTV images of a man they think may have vital information about the incident.

If you are the man seen in the images or if you recognise him, contact PC Roy Evans on 101.

To give information anonymously, call Crimestoppers 0800 555 111.

No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.