Police are investigating a suspicious incident which happened in Lyneham last night.
A woman in her 40s was walking her dog in The Green between 7.45pm and 8.45pm yesterday when she was approached by a man who asked her about its breed.
It’s claimed he then made an attempt to take the lead from her, but she hit him over the head with a torch and he then fled the scene.
The woman wasn’t injured in any way but was left shaken by what happened.
The suspect is described as male, with dark swept-back hair and unshaven facial hair. He was wearing dark clothing and driving a blue Ford Transit van.
A spokesperson for Wiltshire Police said: “We know there are concerns about attempted dog thefts locally and, while we don’t want people to panic or worry unnecessarily, we would continue to remind everyone to be vigilant and ensure their dogs are locked inside or kept in safe and secure kennels overnight.
“Also, we would always urge dog owners to report suspicious activity to us via 101 or our website, so these can be investigated and we can build up an intelligence picture of potential issues in a particular area.
“We would ask any witnesses to this particular incident to call us on 101, quoting crime reference 54210022221. Alternatively you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.”
