A woman has been left “shaken up” after a man tried to steal her dog in Biggleswade yesterday.

Bedfordshire Police are appealing for witnesses to the attempted robbery, which happened in Sun Street at around 12.15pm.

The woman was walking her dog, a boarder terrier, when a car stopped next to her.

One passenger left the car, approached the victim and demanded that she hand over the dog, which she refused to do.

The traffic building up behind the stopped car prompted one of the passengers to shout at the offender to move on, and he returned to the vehicle and left the scene.

The man who left the vehicle is described as white, slim, in his late teens to early 20s, clean shaven and with dark hair.

His vehicle is described as silver Suzuki Jimny, with black stickers on the rear windscreen. It is thought to have contained a further three men.

Dave Heaslip, from the Crime Bureau Team, said: “We understand that dogs aren’t just a pet, they are part of the family, so we are keen to track these offenders.

“The victim is understandably shaken up as she made it clear that they would be leaving empty handed.

“We are keen to speak to anyone who may have witnessed the incident, particularly those in the queuing traffic, or who have seen the described vehicle and its occupants around the time of the incident.”

Anyone with information should call Beds police on 101 or visit its online reporting centre and quote reference number 40/43606/18.

Alternatively you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.