Two women attempted to steal a watch from an elderly man while out walking.

The victim, who is in his late 70s, was walking along Marlborough Road, close to the junction with Carlisle Avenue in Old Town at around 9.45am last Monday.

He was approached by two women who asked for his assistance, saying they had a friend who was unwell.

The women said they did not speak English, so the victim assisted by directing them to a nearby hotel to get help.

They then hugged him, taking hold of his hands, and one of them managed to unclip and remove his watch without him realising.

But as they quickly walked away, the victim realised his watch was missing and challenged them.

The watch dropped out of one of the women’s clothing, meaning he was able to retrieve it.

Police described the two suspects as Asian, possibly Chinese ethnicity, both in their mid-20s, of slim build and around 5ft 2ins tall.

They were both wearing hospital-style face masks and dressed in white tops and blue jogging bottoms.

PC Teresa Herbert, from Swindon’s Community Investigation Team, said: “We want to hear from anyone who witnessed this particular incident and may have information who can help.

“We also believe this may be some sort of scam which others have fallen victim to, perhaps without realising anything was stolen.”

Anyone with information should call 101.