Millie Kershaw, 92, says she can never leave home alone again after she was robbed in the street for just £2.

The hunt for her attacker intensified today as police issued a description of a man wanted in connection with the attack on the frail great-grandmother.

Mrs Kershaw suffered a broken hip and wrist, relieved the robbery from her hospital bed.

Mrs Kershaw was thrown to the ground as the thief grabbed her shopping bag containing just £2, groceries and a copy of The Argus in Hamilton Road, Brighton, near her home, at 4pm on Tuesday.

Her misfortunes grew when the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton last night cancelled a potentially life-threatening operation on her broken hip. The hospital apologised but blamed a run of higher priority cases.

Mrs Kershaw, a widow with six daughters, 12 grandchildren and great grandchildren, relived the vicious assault for The Argus.

She can only remember having her bag violently tugged from her and the robber running downhill towards Preston Circus.

Three passers-by gave her first aid and called an ambulance after the attack. Besides the fractures, she suffered a bruised forehead and grazing to her arms and hands. Her glasses were also broken.

She said: "I had been shopping. I was just about 30 yards from my house when the bag was snatched with such force, it sent me flying.

"I never saw the man and that was it. I could not get up, my hip was out of action and I couldn't move."

Mrs Kershaw said: "I was (independent) but I am not now. I shall take somebody with me next time. It is too much.

"I would like to do something to him (the attacker), not only for me but for other people.

"I am only upset about the pain it has caused in my hip. I don't know why he did it to me, I have never done anything to deserve it."

Police have no witnesses and were eager for Mrs Kershaw to talk about her experiences.

Today they issued a description of a man who spoke to Millie minutes before she was attacked.

Acting Detective Chief Inspector Martyn Underhill said: "He may have seen the suspect and it is urgent he comes forward."

The man spoke to Mrs Kershaw between 3.15pm and 3.45pm as she was leaning on a wall under the railway viaduct at the junction of Old Shoreham Road and New England Road.

He was white, 45 years old, 5ft 8in and thin with a dirty face. He was wearing a long, grey raincoat and a blue or khaki baseball cap. Mrs Kershaw told police she had seen him before in the Seven Dials area.

Suzi Tully, 32, Mrs Kershaw's granddaughter said: "Nanny loves life . . . how dare this man take my nan's independence and life away."

Her nine-year-old daughter Alice said: "Get well Pink Nanny. We all love you."

Mrs Kershaw is known as Pink Nanny to children in the family because most things in her Brighton home are that colour, including walls and her slippers.

Mr Underhill, leading the hunt, Operation Watcher, said: "We have not interviewed a single person who witnessed the attack yet and I can't believe no one was around at that time of day.

"There must have been motorists, cyclists or pedestrians nearby. Someone must have seen something and I would urge them to come forward.

"This was a despicable robbery on a vulnerable old lady. No one deserves to be accosted like this but especially a woman of her age.

"Someone out there knows something. I hope they have a conscience and come forward."

Police today were continuing house-to-house inquiries and a computerised incident room has been set up at Brighton police station.

Meanwhile surgeons at the Royal Sussex were hoping to reschedule Mrs Kershaw's hip operation for later today.

Hospital spokesman Ian Keeber said: "Of course we are very sorry we were not able to carry out Mrs Kershaw's operation and we are hoping to get it done as quickly as possible.

"Unfortunately, we have had an unexpectedly high number of trauma cases in the past few days.

"Some of the patients would have died or been left permanently disabled if they had not been operated on immediately.

"We have to make a clinical decision based on the immediate needs of the patient and who are at the most risk."

Mrs Kershaw was said to be in a comfortable and stable condition.

Anyone with information about the attack should call the Operation Watcher team on 0845 6070999.