A woman was left “shaken” when eight men surrounded her and stole her purse from her car after she pulled over after being involved in a crash with another car.

The incident happened at around 10.40pm on Monday, September 18 in Hazelwood Lane, Abbots Langley.

One of the drivers, a woman aged in her 30s, stopped near the junction with Broomfield Rise and the other driver came over to speak to her after the collision.

While they were talking, a group of up to eight males appeared and surrounded the woman.

Her purse was then stolen from her handbag which had been left in her car.

The purse was found close by but all the cards had been stolen from within it.

The group of men are believed to be aged in their late teens and were not known to either of the drivers.

Detective Sergeant Rob Muir said: “Thankfully the woman was not hurt but has understandably been left shaken by her ordeal. This is an unusual incident and we are doing all we can to trace those involved.

“I would like to hear from anyone who may have witnessed what happened or who saw a group of people hanging around the area during the evening. If you have any information please get in touch.”