A "fearless" young man estimated to be in his 20s chased down a thief who had attempted to steal a pensioner's bag as she sunned herself at Ayr beach.

Anne Dick, an 80-year-old who had only very recently begun getting out and about again after months of lockdown, was making the most of the good weather yesterday, when the thief stole her bag.

She noticed the man acting suspiciously as she sat on a bench doing her crossword close to the beach, he was walking up and down in front of her and was fishing through bins in the area.

Anne felt uncomfortable by the the man's actions and decided it was time for her to leave, as she rose the man ran towards her and snatched her bag from her. She shouted for help and tried to run after him but was unable to keep up. 

Arlene Bovill, Anne's daughter said: "She’s really shaken up, you don’t think that will happen in this current climate, you think that people would be kinder to each other."

Her faith in humanity was restored by the actions of a brave young man who was passing at the time, who saw that Anne was in distress and asked her what the problem was.

He dropped his jacket and bottle of water and made chase after the thief, who he caught up with at Charlotte Street. After a tussle, the man was apprehended and told to give the bag back. He denied having the bag, though it was clearly visible under his jumper and the young man retrieved it from him.

Anne said that they were indebted to the young man for his bravery and wished to thank him for his heroic efforts after they were unable to at the time. 

"We’re extremely grateful to the young guy, he didn’t even think of his own safety, he just went after him. If he hadn't my mum would have lost her bag which had her money purse, house keys and other things.

"He's restored our faith in the public and we want to let him know how thankful we are. Mum said he had a really kind face and that he was a really kind young man. The fact that there was a happy ending has given her confidence to go out again." Said Anne.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "We received a report that a 80-year-old woman was the victim of a theft on Charlotte Street, Ayr, around 5.30pm on Sunday, 14 June, 2020. The woman was not injured and her belongings were recovered a short time later. A 43-year-old man was arrested and charged in connection and [was] due to appear at Ayr Sheriff Court on 15th June 2020. No other person was charged in relation to the incident."