An 80-year-old woman waiting for a bus was asked for directions by a motorist who then snatched her hand bag, dragging her momentarily along the road.

Onlookers rushed to help the woman who was taken to hospital following the mugging at Crossway Hand, Whittlesey, yesterday at around 1pm.

A Cambridgeshire police spokesman said: “We were called at 1.01pm on Monday November 19 to reports of a robbery on Crossway Hand, Whittlesey.

“A handbag had been taken from an elderly woman walking on the pavement, causing her to fall to the ground.

“Details of the woman’s injuries are unclear, though they are not thought to be life-threatening.

“The bag was taken by the driver of a car who had pulled up alongside the woman and then made off.

“A 21-year-old man, of no fixed abode, was arrested yesterday on suspicion of robbery and has been released on police bail until Friday December 14.”

On the Whittlesey community page of Facebook one man wrote: “This incident has truly sickened me.

“A poor 80 years old lady at a bus stop gets asked for directions, then gets dragged half way down the road when her hand bag is snatched causing her possible terrible injury’s. What is this world coming to?”

Another said the woman was well cared for ahead of emergency services arriving.

“People had stopped, someone had given the person on the floor a blanket and kneeling with them,” he said.

He said there were people phoning for help and others helping with traffic “all of which makes me happy to know there are good people out there looking out for people that are in need of help”.

Another wrote that “how nice would it be if this lady received loads of get well cards or just notes of care from Whittlesey residents?

“One person could act as a collection point, we just need to know who she is so they can be delivered by one person rather than making her details public.

“I don’t mind volunteering to deliver them, like someone said at least she would know there are lots of local people who care.”