Teenagers who intervened after a family were allegedly threatened by a man with a dog are being urged by police to come forward.

A woman was cycling with her two young children in St Nicholas Park, situated just off Pilgrims Way in Stevenage, when a Staffordshire bull terrier dog approached her son and started following and barking at him.

The owner of the dog, a man, arrived a few minutes later who the woman spoke to about the dog not being on a lead.

The man then started shouting at the woman, allegedly threatening her about what his dog could do.

As she and the children rode off he began to chase after them with the dog, before stopping and walking in the direction of Ripon Road.

Police describe the dog owner as white, in his mid-20s, of a very slim build and with dark short scruffy brown hair. He was wearing a green and blue shell suit top at the time and spoke with a local accent. The dog was light brown with dark patches and was wearing a leather collar.

An appeal has now been launched following the incident, which happened on August 25 at about 3.15pm, with investigating officer PC Darryl Hancock urging teenagers who came to the woman’s aid to get in touch.

He said: “There were some teenagers in the park at the time that witnessed the incident and even intervened, telling the offender to stop harassing the woman. However they were reluctant to leave any details and we urgently need to get in contact with them. If they would rather not contact us directly on police non-emergency number 101 then they can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”