POLICE are hunting for a knife-wielding man after he attempted to rob a woman in Harnham.

Officers says that at around 11 pm on Saturday, a 37-year-old was walking on the footpath from St George's Church in the direction Netherhampton Road when she was approached by a man holding a small knife.

He then demanded that she hand over money, but the woman was able to get away unharmed.

The suspect then ran off towards Town Path empty handed.

He is described as white, approximately 5ft 8in, of slim build, aged in his late teens to early twenties, with strawberry blonde hair. He was wearing a faded/worn black hoodie which had a large front pocket.

PC Matt Cable said: "Undoubtedly the local community will be concerned about this incident and we are taking it very seriously. We have extra patrols in the area and are following a number of lines of enquiry including analysis of CCTV in the area.

"We ask that anyone who was in the area at the time and saw a man matching the description of the suspect to come forward. Equally if you have any dash cam footage or CCTV please contact us."

Inspector Pete Sparrow added: "Safety is our priority and I reiterate PC Cable's appeal for anyone who knows who this man is to come forward and tell us. You can be assured that we will deal with any information sensitively and in confidence."

If you have information please call 101 quoting reference 54190045239.