STAFF at Kudos Hairdressers in Lydney sent thieves packing after they tried to snatch a phone from them.

Two men and a woman entered the shop in Hill Street and started speaking to an assistant about booking an appointment before one of the men asked if he could use the customer toilet at the back of the premises.

He walked into a staff room, apparently by accident, and was challenged by workers at the shop, who checked their possessions and discovered an iPhone 4 missing. When he was confronted he slipped the phone out of his jacket sleeve onto the desk, claiming he had not taken it.

Following the incident at around 4.45pm on Tuesday the group then made off towards Newerne Street.

Abbie Powell, who works at Kudos, said: "If we hadn't checked our possessions they would have got away with it.

"They were shouting at us as they went away which was quite scary, but the police took fingerprints from the phone so hopefully they'll be caught."

The man who asked to use the toilets is described as Turkish, around 5ft 8in tall, slim, in his early 20s and with black hair which was shaved at the sides but several inches long on the top and at the back.

The second man is described as Turkish, 5ft 8in tall, in his late 30s or early 40s, of larger build than the first man and with short black hair shaved at the sides but longer on top. He had a distinctive wide nose. Both men spoke in broken English.

Four other businesses in Lydney were targeted in October by men who also tried to distract store staff in a similar way.