A mum has spoken of her shock after two solid gold bracelets worth £370 were stolen from her disabled baby in a night-time attack at Lakeside Primark.

Baby Abbie Jones, who is 18 months old and is diagnosed with epilepsy, was the target of the theft at the shopping store at 9pm last Wednesday July 6.

Emma Jones, 34, of Riverview Close, Laindon, said her 13 year old son was watching over her daughter whilst she was on the next aisle, when her son rushed over to say the buggy had fallen over.

Ms Jones, who is a full-time carer for her disabled children, said she was shocked and angered by the attack.

She said: “I was just so shocked that maybe someone had been following her.

“Abbie screamed and I saw the baby buggy had been knocked over, I think they used it as a distraction. To do it that quick, they must know that part of the store well, and it takes two hands to get the bracelets off.

"I did see two to three Eastern European women hanging around, and a lady came over before it happened and said, ‘you have got a lot of shopping.’

“It’s just terrible, for someone to do it that quick. It’s not kind. Abbie kept saying ‘gone, gone’ after it happened. My son Connor was also really upset afterwards as well. I’m just so angered that someone could do that with my baby.

"I also want to warn other mums as well because a lot of people don’t think it will happen.”

An Essex Police spokesman confirmed they were looking into the incident and asked anyone with information to contact 101.

A spokesman for Primark did not respond to the Gazette’s request for comment.