A woman will appear in court today after she was arrested and charged with breaking into the home of an elderly woman and assaulting her at East Maitland yesterday.

About 8.15am on Saturday 7 November 2015 a 91-year-old woman was awoken in the bedroom of her Barton Street home by an intruder.

The woman noticed cupboard doors and drawers had been opened and the woman standing in her bedroom had taken her handbag.

Getting out of bed the woman challenged the intruder and grabbed her handbag in an attempt to regain it and a struggle ensued.

The intruder allegedly kicked the woman in the lower right leg and she screamed in pain.

The intruder then threw the handbag at the woman and ran from the home.

Police were contacted by the woman and officers from Central Hunter Local Area Command arrested a 45-year-old woman in a nearby yard.

Police will allege that she was in possession of property taken from the home at the time of her arrest. Several other items located nearby were seized and taken for forensic examination.

The woman was taken to Maitland Police Station and later charged with aggravated break and enter inflict actual bodily harm, possess housebreaking implements and malicious damage.

The local woman was refused bail and will appear at Maitland Bail Court later today.

The woman suffered bruising to her leg following the assault but did not require medical treatment.