A fundraiser launched after a pensioner was pick-pocketed while out shopping for the first time following a stroke has raised more than £1,000 in a 24 hours.

CCTV footage released by police shows a woman having her purse stolen by two men who dip into her bag as she shops with her husband in the Co-Op in Long Lane, Bexleyheath.

Police said the woman, who is 85, recently suffered a stroke and had £60 taken from her purse on her first time venturing out.

The footage has since gone viral, with thousands of people including footballer Lee Dixon and TV presenter Jake Humphrey sharing it.

Roshan Varma, a cab driver from Victoria, saw the footage on Twitter and wanted to help.

He said: "Obviously it sickened me, a little old lady and suffering from a stroke. I contacted the police trying to get her name just to give her her £60 back, but they couldn't give those details.

"I had loads of people messaging me so I thought 'right, well, I'll start a GoFundMe and we can have it all in one place'.

"The community spirit in Bexleyheath is something else, I wish I lived in a community like it.

"Something like this touches people, anyone could have started the page, I'm not special, I just got the ball rolling."

So far £1,840 has been donated and Roshan thinks it will get to £2,000 quickly.

He added: "It's a bit mad, it really has gone crazy.

"I expected to raise a couple of hundred, that's all."

The stolen purse was found discarded in Welling by a member of the public who returned it to the woman and put Roshan and the victim in touch.

A spokesman for Bexley police said they too had been inundated over the weekend with offers to help over the weekend since the footage had been released.

He said: "I went to see the victim on Sunday, October 8 and she, along with her husband, are overwhelmed by the public support.

"I spoke with them about the GoFundMe page and they are very very thankful to everyone who’s donated.

"I spoke with them for a long time regarding the money that has been raised so far and they are adamant that they cannot accept the money.

"We spoke over the options available and they have decided that the best thing to do with the money that has been raised is for it to be donated to a charity close to them.

"The victim suffered a stroke this year and is still recovering from that so they would like to donate the money to a stroke charity. I am going to be in contact with them over the coming weeks to finalise the details with them."

So far the footage of the theft has been shared more than 68,000 times on Facebook.

More than 100 people have donated to the couple's fund, with one person saying: "Won't replace the shock or upset the couple experienced but hopefully the kind contributions made will help put back some of their faith in human nature. Fingers crossed that the perpetrators are caught very soon."

The incident happened in Long Lane Co Op on September 9 at 1pm. if you have any information call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

You can donate to the GoFundMe here.

UPDATE: The men have been formally identified. Police said enquiries are ongoing.