A brazen thief crawled on his hands and knees to steal a purse while his victim was just metres away.

A camera caught the man opening a door at Canvey’s Star Amusements then crouching down and crawling underneath a counter and taking Joanne Woodland’s purse – as she was sat in the same room.

The crook had to unzip the handbag to get to the purse and even took the time to close the door behind him before scarpering.

Shop assistant Mrs Woodland, 59, who was sat close by with her back towards the door as she dealt with customers, was none-the-wiser, until she went to get her purse later that day.

The mum-of-two, originally from Malta, said: “I had about £47.50 in there.

“I didn’t realise anything had happened until I went to get my purse at 8.30pm. No one heard or saw anything.

“A customer wanted some change and there was none available, so I said I would get some from my purse and that’s when I noticed it had been stolen.

“When I saw what had happened, it made me feel sick. It’s shocking.

“Since then, I have been feeling really ill and depressed. It’s just not fair.

“I work really hard for my money and he is taking what isn’t his.”

Mrs Woodland claims the same person turned up days later and he ran away, after she chased after him.

She said he was aged about 17 or 18, wore a white T-shirt and had short, dark hair.

She added this theft, which happened on Sunday, is the third time the business had been targeted.

Her purse, containing £360 of her wages, was stolen in a different raid in March. She added: “I am fed up now. I will not be bringing my purse to work again, it’s a shame it has to come to this.”

An Essex Police spokesman said: “Police are investigating a theft in which a purse containing bank cards and cash was stolen from Canvey’s Star Amusements in Furtherwick Road.

“It was taken at about 4.45pm on August 2. Anyone with information should contact officers on 101.”