A woman was subjected to a "cowardly street robbery" in the early hours of this morning as she walked near a city nightclub.

The victim was on Morley Street, near Tokyo's, at around 12.25am, when her bag was ripped from her following a struggle.

She chased the thief along Little Horton Lane and Chester Street.

The woman was talking on her mobile phone with her earphones in and had her handbag in one hand and a bag of shopping in the other.

A man approached her from behind and tried to pull her handbag off her, but she fought back and screamed at him.

After a short tussle, the man pulled the bag away from the victim and ran.

He was white, slim, about 5ft 10 and approximately 24-years-old with a dark brown beard.

He was wearing a dark navy blue tracksuit with the hood up.

Detective Inspector Ben McDonald said: “We have a statement from a witness who saw this man running away down an alleyway next to the nearby Dixy Chicken takeaway. We now want anyone else who may have seen him, or this robbery as it occurred, to get in touch with us.

“This was a cowardly street robbery on a woman who was just walking along on her own carrying her shopping.”

Anyone with any information should contact police on 101, or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.