There are fresh calls for underpasses to be lit after a woman was robbed of her handbag.

The woman, 49, was walking through the underpass by Asda Eastgate in Long Riding, Basildon, when she was attacked.

A hooded man approached her from behind and pushed her to the floor so he could grab her handbag and run.

He ran off towards Basildon town centre with the bag, which is black and white.

The Long Riding underpass has attracted much attention in the past due to a number of attacks.

In 2014 a petition for CCTV was launched after a 26-year-old woman was attacked in a Basildon subway after the lights had not been working for three weeks.

Kerry Smith, chairman of Basildon Council’s housing and community committee, said the council is working towards making this underpass safer for residents.

He said: “At the moment this underpass has no lighting.

“The passage is short but it’s also very busy.

“There are unsavoury types of people hanging around in the area like drug addicts and it’s very dangerous for residents.

“I have already allocated £21,000 in the budget to install lamp posts to make is safer.”

Mr Smith said there is a lot of vegetation in the area which makes good hiding places for muggers.

Basildon Council will consult with residents to consider cutting back the greenery.

He added: “The underpass here is dangerous because a lot of schoolchildren use it every day and if a child or a vulnerable person called for help, you can’t really see.

“If you’re below street level in the underpass no one’s going to hear you call for help.

The attacker in the latest incident, which happened on Tuesday at about 1.30pm, is described as being white, around 5ft 9ins tall and of medium build.

He was wearing a black hooded top, blue jeans and blue Nike trainers.

Anyone who witnessed the incident or saw a man matching this description in the area at the time is asked to contact Basildon CID on 101. Alternatively you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.