Police are appealing for witnesses after a robbery in Bicester last night, where a woman was stabbed in the leg.

A 23-year-old woman was walking along Church Street at about 8pm, when she was pulled into the church yard of St Edburg’s Church by at least two men.

The men attempted to pull the woman’s handbag away from her, and in the struggle she was stabbed in her right leg. The men then left the scene with the black handbag.

The victim then called her partner, who called paramedics and police to inform them of what happened.

Det Sgt Craig Kirby said: “This is a nasty robbery in which the woman was seriously injured.

“Thankfully she is in a stable condition in the John Radcliffe Hospital, but this could have been much worse.

“Officers carried out a search of the area yesterday evening, and the church yard and the surrounding roads will be searched again today to try and locate the stolen handbag.

“I would urge anyone who was in the area at the time of the incident, who may have seen or heard anything suspicious, to come forward and speak to us as soon as possible.

“The victim believes there were at least two men, one of whom she said was white with what she believes to be a Polish accent.”

Anyone with information should contact the 24-hour Thames Valley Police Enquiry Line quoting URN reference 406 of 30/12/10 on 0845 8 505 505. Alternatively, you can contact the Crimestoppers charity anonymously on 0800 555 111.