POLICE are hunting a man who attempted to snatch a woman's handbag in a Swindon car park.

The man struck as Swindon office worker Helen Smith, 25, was about to drive home from the overflow car park of the town's railway station about 7pm last Wednesday.

"The man just opened my car door and made a grab for my bag," she said. "I wouldn't give it up and there was a tussle in which my bag got ripped.

"As it went on he got more aggressive and at one point I felt he might have hurt me.

"But I put up some resistance and after a while he ran off.

"I shut the door, locked myself in and collected myself before driving home. I don't normally park there, I was only there because of the bad weather. I will not be parking there again."

The suspect is described as white, in his late 30s or early 40s, medium build, tanned and with a weathered complexion.

He had a long face, short/medium wavy dark brown hair which was brushed back with a quiff at the front.

He was wearing a white T-shirt with a horizontal pattern on the front, beige Chino-type trousers and a black imitation leather jacket.

To help police inquiries call British Transport Police on freephone 0800 405040 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.