THREE woman pensioners have been mugged outside Sainsbury's in Folkestone's town centre in the space of five days.

The first robbery happened at 9.45am on Friday, December 27, as an 80-year-old woman was leaving the store. A man grabbed her handbag from her shopping trolley and quickly ran off.

The second incident occurred at 5.40pm on Saturday, December 28, when an 81-year-old woman struggled with a man who tried to grab her handbag. The woman was pushed to the ground but the would-be thief escaped empty handed.

In both incidents the offender was described as a white male aged 20 and about 6ft tall.

A 71-year-old woman was then targeted as she returned to the multi-storey car park from Sainsbury's at 1.40pm on New Year's Eve. Officers intervened after the incident in which the woman was pushed and had her handbag stolen.

A 38-year-old man has been arrested and charged with robbery. He has been remanded in custody by Folkestone magistrates.

Police are keen to trace a passer by who recovered the lady's handbag from Manor Road car park and returned it to the victim. Anyone with information should contact PC Andy Crosbie on 01303 289465.