A man out walking his dog in Kent was struck in the face by an attacker, who attempted to take his pet.

The victim, in his 70s, was strolling through Oaklands Close, West Kingsdown, near Sevenoaks, on Tuesday afternoon when a man approached him and said how lovely his dog was.

He then tried to steal the animal by grabbing the Shih-tzu/Maltese Terrier cross, while hitting the elderly man in the face, before failing and running off empty-handed towards Hever Road.

The attacker is thought to be in his 20s and was, too much astonishment wearing a high-visibility jacket.

Det Con Neil Martin from Kent Police said: "This incident came as a complete surprise to the victim who was very shaken by what happened.

"But fortunately he doesn't seem to have suffered any lasting injury."

Kent Police are urging anyone with information about this incident to come forward.