A woman in her 30s has been left "extremely shaken" after an attempted robbery in Harpenden.

Police are appealing for information about the incident, which occurred on the A1081 Luton Road at 10.45pm on Saturday, November 22.

The victim was walking along the road with a friend when they were approached from behind by man who then grabbed her handbag, snapping off the handle.

A struggle took place between the two, during which the victim was pushed to the floor and kicked several times in the thigh. As the victim’s friend tried to intervene, the man verbally threatened the women before releasing the bag and walking towards Harpenden town centre.

The suspect is described as a white man, aged between 22 and 25 years old, around 5ft 7in tall, of slim build, with untidy short light brown hair. He was clean shaven and spoke in a deep voice with a London accent.

Detective Constable Amy Dixon, who is investigating, said: "Understandably the victim has been left extremely shaken by this ordeal but thankfully was not injured.

"I would like to trace the man responsible as soon as possible and I am appealing to anyone who witnessed the incident or who has any information about what happened to get in contact with me straight away.

"Did you see someone matching this description in the area at the time? A number of vehicles also drove past while the incident was taking place so if you saw anything then please get in touch."

Anyone with information is asked to contact DC Dixon via the Herts police non-emergency number 101, quoting crime reference F2/14/1638.