I clobbered armed gang with my bag but I'm not a hero, says gran

A woman in her seventies who "clobbered" a gang of armed thieves with her shopping bag today said she was "no hero".

The pensioner, who asked not to be named, said that she was on the opposite side of the road when she saw the gang trying to smash the windows of a jewellery shop with sledgehammers.

She said: "I heard a commotion and I looked across and saw six young men on scooters.

"At first I thought one of them was being set upon by three others. I was not going to stand by and watch somebody take a beating or worse, so I tried to intervene.

"When I got closer I realised it was a robbery and then I was even more angry that they felt they could get away with what they were doing in broad daylight."

The woman said one of the gang tried to escape down Gold Street in Northampton on his scooter and nearly hit a woman and a baby buggy. "I clobbered him with my shopping but he got away. The rest of them were still trying to smash and grab at the jewellery. I landed several blows against one lad on the back of a bike and brought him to the ground. He raised a hammer to me so I just kept hitting out and shouting and shouting for others to help and bring them down."

She added: "I'm not a hero and it was maybe foolish of me to get involved but somebody had to do something." Four men, aged 18, 22, 25 and 39, have been arrested.