A WOMAN was pulled to the ground and kicked in the face in a robbery outside a Colchester supermarket.

The woman - a student in her 20s and due to sit her final exams this week - was leaving Tesco, in Greenstead Road, The Hythe, when she was approached by a woman who asked her for the time.

As the victim looked at her watch, her attacker grabbed her hair and pulled her to the ground. She then kicked her in the face and stole her bag.

The student was not seriously injured, but had cuts and bruises to her face.

The robber was accompanied by a man on a mountain bike and another woman, who were seen running and cycling off towards the footpath at St Andrew's Avenue The suspect was described as about 30 years old, 5ft 2in tall and of petite build. She wore a light pink-coloured beret hat, a baggy top, and blue ripped jeans.

Det Con Marc Barry, of Colchester CID, said: "This was a very vicious attack where a young student was overpowered and violently assaulted.

"We are doing everything we can to track down the suspect, and we would like to stress that this is an isolated incident and Greenstead is not a dangerous place to live.

"We are appealing for any witnesses to come forward to help us further with our investigations."

Police are appealing for witnesses to the robbery, which happened at 6.45pm on Saturday, to call detectives at Colchester CID on 0300 333 4444 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.