A feeble robber limped off empty-handed after a failed attempt to rob a woman in Maidstone.

Police say a 40-year-old woman was walking her dog along Westmorland Road towards Sutton Road, in the early hours of Wednesday July 14, when she felt two blows, one to the bottom of her head and the second across the top of her shoulders.

The attacker - who is said to have spoken with a lisp and walked with a limp - was scared off when the woman resisted his attempts to grab her bag and her dog started barking.

The woman’s injuries are described as "only slight".

Police believe the offender - who was white, "very thin", aged in his twenties, andhad dark hair - was carrying a white pole, which was later recovered in Westmorland Road.

The police appeal was only issued today, together with an appeal for information on a second unrelated robbery last month, in which a man was robbed after a night out in Maidstone.

The victim, a 28-year-old man from Sittingbourne, was walking past the Royal Mail delivery office in Sandling Road between 3am and 3.20am on Sunday June 27, when he was approached from behind and attacked.

His wallet, containing £50 cash, and his mobile phone, worth £100, was stolen, and he was left with a black eye and cuts to his forehead, nose and cheeks.

Police say the victim’s recollection of events is "limited", but he believes two or three people were involved in the attack.

If you have any information on the attempted robbery in Westmorland Road should contact DC Prescott on 01622 604281 or Kent Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555111, quoting reference number CY/11146/10.

Those with information on the robbery last month should contact DC Brackley on 01622 604284 or Kent Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555111, quoting reference number CY/10239/10.