A struggle broke out when a man tried to snatch a woman's handbag in front of a laundromat.

The complainant — an employee of the Somerset Laundromat — said she locked up the business for the day at 10.10 p.m. on Wednesday and was waiting outside for a taxi when two men on a motorcycle approached her.

The passenger claimed to have left his laundry inside. The woman told him there wasn't anything left in the building.

Moments later, when her taxi arrived, she went to get in when the suspect grabbed her purse. The pair struggled, but the victim held on to her purse and the two men rode away.

The suspect is described as a tall, dark-skinned male with a long, narrow face wearing a shirt, shorts and a black coloured helmet with a black visor.

Police are asking for witnesses or anyone with information to call the Somerset Criminal Investigation Unit on 234-1010.