A pensioner was left needing surgery to an injury suffered when he was bitten by a dog in Lympne.

The 75-year-old was walking along Aldington Road, near to the airfield, at when he noticed a woman walking towards him with a dog on a lead.

Both the man and woman stopped to talk to each other.

But when the man held his hand down to the dog, the animal grabbed it with its teeth - biting twice.

The man immediately headed to a nearby house and was treated at the William Harvey Hospital, in Ashford.

He was transferred to another hospital in East Grinstead, where he remained for almost two weeks while undergoing three operations to treat his injured hand.

Kent Police now want to speak to anyone with information about the attack - at around 9.45am on Tuesday, April 16 - particularly the woman who was walking the dog.

She is described as white, around 5ft 3ins and in her mid-30s. The dog was desribed as slender, with long white and brown fur.

Anyone with information is asked to phone Kent Police on 101, quoting crime reference ZY/11942/13, or Kent Crimestoppers - anonymously - on 0800 555 111.