TWO female motorists have been left traumatised after their cars were snatched by robbers in Hale.

Robbers escaped with a 42-year-old woman's Mercedes car after surprising her and snatching her keys in broad daylight.

It happened after the woman parked her four-wheel-drive on Ashley Road in Hale, at 2.45pm on Monday.

As she got out of the car and started walking away from her car, a man surprised her, snatched the keys during a struggle and gave them to an accomplice. Both men and two others drove off in the car, a blue Mercedes, registration W608NEN.

Eyewitnesses described how the four men had been watching, from a nearby bus stop, as the woman parked the car. As she walked past them they had prepared for the attack by putting on rubber gloves, before following her up the street.

All four men are described as being aged between 18 and 21. The first was white, of slight to medium build with short thick ginger hair with a parting on top. He was clean-shaven with a long pointy face, blue eyes and a fair complexion. He wore a white t-shirt, trainers and rubber gloves. The second offender is white, five feet 11 inches tall, of medium build with short light ginger hair and a fair complexion. He was wearing sporty casual clothing.

A third man was is black, of slim build and about five feet eight inches, clean-shaven and wore a black bob hat and sporty clothes and red rubber gloves, while the other man was white and wore sporty clothes.

In a separate incident a woman had her car window smashed and handbag stolen as she attempted to leave Safeway's car park on Saturday evening.

The victim, who doesn't want to be identified, said: "I reversed out of my car parking space and waited to leave the car park. A small red hatchback stopped in front of me blocking my exit. A man in a baseball cap and casual clothes got out and walked towards my car. I sat waiting for the car to move but it didn't. The man smashed my front passenger seat window and grabbed my handbag which was next to me on the front seat."

The victim believes the thieves must have been watching her, to know that she had put her handbag on the front seat.

She added: "Luckily for me my bag contained little of value, in future I will put all bags out of site or in the boot."

If anyone has any information about these crimes, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. You don't have to give your name and you may qualify for a Crimestoppers Trust award.