POLICE are today appealing for witnesses after a woman was robbed at a cash point in Ipswich on Saturday.

POLICE are today appealing for witnesses after a woman was robbed at a cash point in Ipswich on Saturday.

The woman went to the cash machine outside the Co-op, in Austin Street, at 8.15am and noticed a man walking along the opposite side of the road who kept looking at her.

He walked down an alleyway opposite the shop as she reached the cash point but as she used the machine the man appeared behind her.

He pushed her away and started pushing buttons on the machine, she tried to stop the transaction but again he pushed her.

She then called for help to two passers by, one man stopped and she was able to retrieve her card from the machine. As she spoke to the man the offender left the scene.

He is described as of Asian appearance, taller than 5 ft 1in, with a pointed noise and was wearing a hooded top with the hood up.

Police are urging a man wearing a red t-shirt and a cyclist, who were seen in the area at the time and may have witnessed the robbery, to come forward.

Detectives are linking this robbery with two others which happened last month at the same cash point.

On May 14 between 10.30pm and 10.45pm a man went to use the same machine and passed two men in the alleyway opposite.

As he was using the machine one of the men from the alleyway pulled him away and the second man tried to use the machine.

When the second man failed to get any money, he tried to steal the man's wallet but he threw it on to the roof of the Co-op and the men ran off down the alleyway.

The first offender is described as of Asian or African Caribbean appearance, 5 ft 10in, of slim build and was wearing blue jeans, white trainers and a hooded top with the hood up.

The second offender is described as of African Caribbean appearance, 6 ft 2in and of stocky build.

On May 15 at around 7.05am a man used the machine and withdrew a small amount of cash. A man cycled past twice on a silver and grey mountain bike before stopping beside the man and demanding money. The victim gave it to him and the man cycled off up the alleyway.

The offender is described as black, in his late teens, with short black afro hair and was wearing a blue hooded top, dark coloured jogging bottoms and a bandana over the lower part of his face.

Anyone with information about any of these crimes should call Ipswich CID on 01473 613500 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.