A mother this afternoon urged people to keep their phones hidden from view – after her 15-year-old daughter became one of the latest victims of Islington’s moped snatching shame.

At 2pm yesterday, Lauren Berry was on the phone to her mum, Sharon Crocombe, while sat at a bus stop near Pentonville Road’s junction with The Angel.

Camera footage from a van shows two males on a moped turning round, mounting the pavement and yanking Lauren’s iPhone 6 from her hands.

Police say about 50 phones are snatched every week in Islington, and a shaken Sharon, who lives near Old Street, told the Gazette: “She was actually speaking on the phone to me at the time, so it was really scary as a mother.

“We have been aware of this going on around Islington for a while. I’m always saying to Lauren: ‘Don’t get your phone out.’ So I feel bad that she was calling me at the time, telling me she was coming home. It’s sod’s law.

“Because Pentonville Road is so noisy, she had no idea they were approaching on the pavement. They yanked at her arm to snatch the phone, but apart from that she is OK – just a little shaken.”

Sharon, originally from Barnsbury, added: “The fact they mounted the pavement shows the risks these people will take. I would just urge anyone, go hands-free and don’t have your phone on show.

“The guy that had the footage had a camera on his van. He noticed the moped mount the pavement so after he saw what happened, he gave Lauren his card to give to me, and he sent the video. Police are coming to look at it so hopefully it will help.”