Police have arrested two people in connection with a 'birthday card' scam being carried out on locals enjoying a coffee break in Chiswick cafes.

The scam involved the couple 'selling' birthday cards, but strategically placing them on the table over the customer's mobile phone while distracting their attention.

The fraudsters were then lifting up their birthday cards and deftly holding onto the mobile phone belonged to the customer before making good their escape.

Several incidents have been reported in Chiswick over the past few weeks, usually involving the perpetrators approaching customers in coffee shops along the High Road.

A police spokesperson said a customer had recently spotted a male and a female acting suspiciously in a cafe and then leaving. The person had called the police, quoting the registration number of the car they had driven away in. An appeal was then sent out and the couple were arrested in the Thames Valley . The car they were driving was also uninsured.

The two have been remanded on bail. Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Chiswick police.