A thief stole £300 in cash from a charity worker's car before exposing himself in front of her and her 81-year-old mother as he ran away.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had visited the Waitrose supermarket in Edenbridge on Saturday afternoon and was recycling glass at the nearby bottle bank when the suspect struck.

She saw a man crouching down by her car, and when she asked what he was doing, he claimed to have been looking for a dog.

She then noticed her handbag had been moved and that the cash - which she was planning to use to buy her mother some John Lewis vouchers for her birthday - had been pinched.

The woman's husband, who also cannot be named, said: "This chap had obviously done it before and knew people leave cash in their cars when they go and recycle the bottles.

"Thieves must think those that go to Waitrose are decent people with a bit of money.

"My wife was pretty brave, she chased him for a bit and she tried to take a photo of him, at which point he exposed himself by getting his backside out.

"The whole experience was totally humiliating for a defenceless female - she's devastated."

Kent Police confirmed it was investigating.

A spokesperson said: "Police were alerted to an incident in a car park in Mont St Aignan Way, Edenbridge, at 1.04pm on Saturday, August 25.

"It is reported that money was stolen from a handbag which had been left in the boot of a car.

"The suspect was reported to have run away on foot before getting in a silver Ford Focus outside of the supermarket.

"The investigation is ongoing."

The Waitrose store declined to comment when approached.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 quoting reference 25-0622.