A man attacked a pensioner and tried to steal her dog in a vicious robbery attempt.

The woman, 66, was walking her dog on Friday in a wooded area near Benbecula Park on Calderglen Road, East Kilbride when she was approached between 10.30am and 11am.

The man, thought to be in his 30s, tried to steal her dog before assaulting her.

The woman was left "shaken and alarmed" but did not require medical treatment.

The thug is described as 5 ft 8in tall with a long brown beard and had a small white and tan coloured dog with him.

He was wearing a navy blue bandana and black clothing.

After the attempted robbery, he got into a black coloured Ford Transit van parked on Benbecula and drove towards Calderwood Road.

Now, the force has launched a probe into the incident and is asking anyone with information to get in touch.

Detective Constable Sarah McNeil of Lanarkshire CID said: “This appears to be an attempt to rob the woman of her dog, and it is vital that we establish the full circumstances of what happened and trace the man responsible.

“I would like to speak to anyone who was in the area on Friday who saw or heard anything suspicious.

"Similarly, anyone with private CCTV, doorbell footage or dashcam of the area is urged to review the footage and bring anything significant to our attention.”