Police are asking for help to identify two women believed to have stolen £100 from a pensioner’s purse while she was in a Deal charity shop.

Widowed Margaret Philpott thinks she was scammed by the pair who claimed to be collecting for a hearing charity inside Sue Ryder Care in the High Street.

When approached the 88-year-old opened her purse to find some coins.

One woman, using what looked like sign language, held up a jumper, asking for her opinion, while the other positioned her clipboard over her purse, swiping a £100 wad of notes. They both left quickly afterwards.

Mrs Philpott, of Lancelot Close, Deal, who uses a walking frame, had just withdrawn the cash.

She said: “They were very professional and had targeted me as a frail old lady.

“As soon as I went to close my purse I noticed the money had gone.

“I kept calm. Usually I’d start crying at something like this but I was angry.”

Mrs Philpott’s husband of 54 years, Len, died eight years ago. She used to go shopping with her twin sister until she became unwell.

She is now a reluctant shopper unless she is assisted by her family.

Manager of Sue Ryder Care in Deal, Joanna Underwood, said: “We would never condone another charity collecting in our shop and if we were aware of this they would have been asked to leave.

“The shop was quite busy and they weren’t speaking, they were signing to each other.

“We are disgusted by what happened and we’re sorry we weren’t able to prevent it.”

Mrs Philpott has thanked Danny Rushton and other staff at the shop as well as the police and a kind gentleman who gave her £20 but would not give his name.

“He restored my faith a little,” she said.

She said: “I will never go shopping on my own again now.”

Police investigating the alleged theft, which happened last Thursday at about 11.30am, are asking anybody who might have seen the two women to get in touch by calling Kent Police on 01843 222289 or Crimestoppers (anonymously) on 0800 555 111 quoting reference ZY/038599/16.

They are described as white, aged 20 to 30. One had a white jumper with horizontal stripes and the other had a black top and black headscarf.