Bag-snatching robbers accosted a woman in her 20s who was locking up a High Street shop.
The employee had left the One Stop convenience shop in Kelvedon when the alarm sounded.
She returned to set the alarm and was locking the door when a man in a balaclava and another with his hooded top pulled up, snatched her handbag and ran off towards the railway station.
The first man was described as white, aged between 20 and 28 and about 5 ft 7 ins tall.
He was wearing a black balaclava and a dark hooded top with a stripe across the front, and black trousers.
His accomplice was black, skinny and between 20 and 25 years old. He was clean-shaven and wearing a light coloured hooded top with the hood up, and blue jeans.
Police would also like to talk to a balding white man who was asking for direction to the police station and who might have witnessed the robbery.
Call PC Liam Fuller at Braintree police station on 0300 333 4444 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 1111.
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