POLICE are appealing for information after a woman in her 60s was attacked walking home from Tavistock Goose Fair, just weeks after an attempted mugging in the same area of town.

Officers have referred to the latest crime, which occurred along the cycle path that runs behind Tavistock College, as 'a really nasty attack'.

In the other incident a Tavistock College sixth former was threatened with a knife when he refused to hand over his belongings to a man who confronted him in the Watts Road area in September.

Police are not ruling out that the attacks could be linked as they are similar in nature and very unusual in the town.

The woman was walking home at about 8.30pm on the evening of Goose Fair when a person came up behind her, grabbed her handbag and tried to pull it off her shoulder.

Instinctively, the woman tried to hang onto the bag and was pulled over, landing face-first on the path. From some distance down the path she heard someone shout 'What's going on?' and the attacker ran off.

The Tavistock resident, who has been severely shaken by the incident and wishes to remain anonymous, suffered bruising and grazing to her face and her two front teeth were broken. She told the Times it all happened so quickly she did not catch proper sight of the person who tried to mug her.

She said:?'The bushes and trees are so high and I think this person came through one of the shortcuts. The first I knew of them was a hand on my shoulder.

'I have lived in Tavistock for 33 years and walk that way to and from town all the time. It's such a shock that something like this could happen. I am 100% convinced it was not a local person who did this.'

Sixteen-year-old Martin Montague was confronted by a man shortly after 9pm on September 25 on a stony path off Watts Road, which runs over the railway line.

The suspect threatened him with a knife and the victim may have injured the offender in his attempts to protect and defend himself, having kicked the offender in the groin.

The attacker fled the scene along the path which leads to old Launceston Road and may have subsequently sought medical attention.

He is described as a white man, approximately 6ft, of slim build, wearing a dark coloured hoody and a pair of dark tracksuit bottoms with a single while line down the outside of each leg. He wore his hood up with a baseball cap underneath.

This is the second time the teenager has been attacked and it is believed the same offender may be responsible.

DC Dominic Waites from Plymouth Investigation Team said serious crimes did not happen in Tavistock very often and he was hoping someone would have some information that could help.

He said:?'At the moment there is no reason to tie these incidents together, but I am not going to rule it out as they are similar in nature. They are also at the same end of the town.

'We have increased patrols and are looking at support from our neighbourhood policing teams and PCSOs. We want to nip this in the bud.'

DC Waites, who is heading the investigation into the incident on Goose Fair evening, said the event brought a lot of people into the town, some not always with the most pleasant plans in mind. He has advised anyone who finds themselves a victim like this to let their possessions go for the sake of their own safety.

'It is a natural reaction to hold onto your possessions but possessions can be replaced, people can't. This was a really nasty attack and could easily have left the lady seriously injured.'

Anyone with information on either of these crimes is asked to call police on the 101 number.