Bag snatch victim was BBC costume designer

The woman who died after being run over by a pair of handbag thieves was a talented BBC costume designer.

Liz Sherlock, 42, of Chiswick, west London, worked on television programmes including Last of the Summer Wine. She also worked alongside Rolf Harris on Rolf's Amazing World of Animals.

The BBC has paid tribute to "a tremendous" costume designer who was immensely popular with those she worked with.

Mrs Sherlock was sitting in a cafe in London's Euston station with her husband yesterday morning when her bag was snatched.

She gave chase and clung to the bonnet of the thieves' car before slipping under its wheels in front of passers-by.

She was flown by air ambulance to the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, east London, where she died despite three hours of emergency surgery.

Detective Inspector Martin Lee described the crime as "horrifying and appalling" and said: "This woman showed bravery in the face of theft."

Police have launched a murder inquiry and officers are searching the area around the station for the suspects. It is understood they are known to the police, but no one has been arrested.

A post-mortem is being carried out at St Pancras mortuary.

Mrs Sherlock worked for the BBC as a staff costume designer between 1983 and 1995 after which she went freelance. She worked on programmes such as Comic Relief, The Royal Variety Performance, the Ben Elton Show and Tomorrow's World.