AN ELDERLY holidaymaker has died four days after her handbag was stolen as she sat on her mobility scooter in an East Yorkshire town.

Pamela Roddis, 73, from Sheffield, was holidaying in Bridlington when a cyclist stole her bag, containing £300 and a Nokia mobile phone, outside the Gala Club on the Promenade on Sunday, January 26.

Ms Roddis was so shaken by the theft that she cut her holiday short and returned to Sheffield the next day. She died of a brain haemorrhage last Thursday, and Humberside Police said the "stress and upset" of the theft may have played a part in her health deteriorating.

The pensioner had stayed at various guest houses in Bridlington for a week at a time every month for the last ten years. The theft happened at about 10.15am when a cyclist rode past her near a bus stop and took her black bag.

Pc Robert Brigham, who is investigating the crime, said two CCTV images showed a man on a bike who police want to speak to in connection with the theft.

He said: "It was sad to hear Ms Roddis had passed away before I could identify the offender and bring him to justice - now I must do so in order for her family to grieve.

"I have spoken to her immediate family and passed on our condolences, not just from the police force, but on behalf of Bridlington. Pamela Roddis chose, for the past ten years, to holiday with us, and on her very last visit she was left shaken, upset and saddened.

"Bridlington relies on holidaymakers to bring revenue to the area and we do not want this to tarnish our otherwise wonderful reputation for being a family-friendly seaside town. In Ms Roddis' memory, I need the public to help identify the cyclist shown on CCTV."

The force said Ms Roddis will have been well-known in the Bridlington area, where she had made friends and got to know many guest-house owners.

Anybody with information should phone Humberside Police on 101 quoting crime reference number CW/2023076/2014.