A WOMAN walking in Stourport was grabbed by a man and hit across the face after he demanded money from her.

The attempted robbery took place at about 3.15pm yesterday on a path between Linden Avenue and Hermitage Way.

The woman in her 20s noticed a man about halfway along the path and as she walked past him, he grabbed her and took hold of her coat before demanding money from her.

She told the man she did not have any money, so he asked her a second time.

She again said she did not have any so he released his grip and hit her across the face. She then ran away to find help at the nearby shops in Queen's Road.

The man is described as white, in his late 20s or early 30s, slim build and about 5ft 6 or 7 ins tall.

He was wearing a khaki green hat with flaps over the ears and had either his coat or a scarf covering his face.

He was also wearing a distinctive green-blue coat with a red and white check pattern on it, blue jeans and white trainers. He was smoking a roll-up cigarette.

Investigating officer, Detective Constable Melissa Cox, said: "This appears to be an unprovoked attacked and we are eager to hear from anyone who saw it happen or thinks they may have seen this man in the area.

"His coat is quite distinctive so we hope someone may have noticed the man wearing it or may recognise who it belongs to from the description."

Witnesses or anyone with information should call DC Cox on the non-emergency number 101, quoting the incident reference 102-N-070113, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.