Emma GreenCHIPPENHAM NEWS: A MUM-TO-BE was shoved from behind and mugged for £3,000 in the car park of the Chippenham pub she manages.

Emma Green, who runs The Kingfisher pub, in Hungerdown Lane, was getting into her car just before 5pm on Tuesday when she was pushed and her handbag was grabbed.

The 24-year-old, who runs the pub with her fianc Alan Wright, 27, and is nine weeks pregnant with their first child, was on the way to the bank to deposit the week's takings.

She had more than £3,000 in cash in her handbag, as well as her wallet and mobile phone.

Miss Green said: "I went outside to get in my car. I was bent over to move my steering lock and I got pushed from behind.

"I felt my handbag being tugged at. He got hold of it and got away.

"I didn't see him at all, just the back of him. I was just shocked. I didn't realise what was actually happening until I felt my handbag being pulled from my hand."

After the attack she suffered pains in her stomach and was afraid for the health of her baby. She went to Chippenham Hospital and has been told to rest.

The mugging is the latest in a spate of incidents since the couple took the helm at the Wadworth-owned pub three months ago.

The storeroom was broken into a month after the couple moved in and thousands of pounds of alcohol was stolen.

Miss Green said they had also received anonymous aggressive phone calls.

The latest ordeal has left Miss Green afraid to venture out alone.

She said: "I will get used to it but I don't want to go out to my car because it's still a shock."

She said they had been very excited to take on the pub, which was their first permanent post since they finished training, but their experience had been blighted by the trouble they had been through. Wadworth has decided to put the pub to tenancy and the couple will be moving to a pub in Walsall, in the West Midlands.

They will leave The Kingfisher on February 14.

Miss Green said: "It hasn't been very good but it hasn't put us off. We are staying in the trade and if Wadworth weren't putting it to tenancy we wouldn't be leaving.

It's determination as much as anything and we've got some brilliant locals and have had some good times here.

"The chances are that this was an opportunist theft. Nobody could have known what was in my bag so after finding that amount of cash I should imagine somebody had a bit of a celebration."

The thief was described as being of medium build and wearing dark clothing with a scarf or bandanna on his head.

Anyone with information should contact Chippenham police or Crimestoppers.