A woman was punched in the face by a man who tried to steal her dog in Stevenage on Saturday morning.

At about 8.30am a man in a light coloured shiny T-shirt riding a mountain bike approached a woman walking her cockapoo on a lead in a Pestcotts Woods near Priestley Road.

The cyclist hit the victim in the face and tried to grab the dog’s lead from her hand.

She hung on to the lead and, after a struggle, the man then cycled away in the direction of Six Hills Way.

The bike the man was riding had distinctive orange mud guards at the front and rear, as well as thick tyres.

The would-be thief is described as being about 5ft 3ins tall, slim, white and with short light hair, and aged between 18 and 40.

Any with information can call police on 101, quoting crime reference number E1/15/2480.