A YOUNG mother has spoken of her fear of attending a supermarket alone after she said a woman tried to steal her shopping as she strapped her baby into a car seat.

The mum is one of a number of people who have contacted the police as well as Morrisons to report similar theft attempts in the store’s Girlington car park.

The police have said they are investigating the claims and the supermarket said it was “assisting police with their inquiries”.

Zoe Brian said she had been in the store last Tuesday with her baby daughter.

She said: “As I was strapping my daughter into her car seat I smelt a strong smell of perfume and turned round to see a woman, of Eastern European appearance, with her hands in my shopping bags in my trolley.

“I told her to stop and pulled the bags away from her. She said she was very hungry and tried again to take something from a bag. I stopped her again and told her if she was hungry she should go and buy food instead of stealing other people’s shopping.

“She didn’t look poor. She was quite well dressed and tidy.

“She then said “you give me something” and said something about not understanding English and peered into the car at my daughter.

“I was really frightened. I was trying to guard my daughter and my shopping.

“I got a photo of her staring at me and then I drove off.

“I was so upset that I had to pull in on the way home because I started shaking.”

“It wasn’t until later on that I realised I had some bread missing from my bags.”

Another shopper, Kayleigh Tudor, went to the same Morrisons on the Wednesday with her mother, Debbie Sharp.

“When we left the store at about 12.45pm, my mum and cousin were a bit behind me and, as I was putting my daughter into her car seat, a man came up to me and tried to take shopping from my trolley. My mum told him to go away and he then tried my car door handle. I rang the police about it.”

Mrs Sharp said she was really angry at what she saw.

“These people seem to be targeting women on their own with young children, vulnerable people and the elderly.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said: “Police are investigating two social media posts relating to people acting suspiciously in a supermarket car park in Girlington and local officers are continuing inquiries with the store and other agencies to identify these people. No crimes have currently been reported in relation to this matter.

“We would ask people to call 101 if they are concerned about suspicious activity. Please call 999 if a crime is in progress.”