Police are appealing for witnesses after two men attempted to steal a mountain bike following an incident in Lancaster.

The attempted theft took place on the cycle path towards the city centre at around 10.25pm on Saturday 26th May 2012.

The man was riding his bike to work close to Carlisle Bridge when he was approached by two men who were blocking his path. One of the men stood in front of his bike, preventing him from moving whilst the second man grabbed hold of his arm and demanded he handed over his bike.

The victim managed to free himself from the offenders and was able to cycle away towards Lancaster and the offenders ran off onto Morecambe Road in the opposite direction.

The first man is described as white, in his mid 20’s and approximately 5’8” tall. He has short ginger hair stuck up, a spotty forehead, stubble and a swollen lip on his right side. He was wearing a royal blue adidas tracksuit with three white stripes down the arms and black pants.

The second man was also white and in his early 20’s and around 5’10” tall with stubble and had a fresh scar under his right eye. He was wearing a light grey hooded top with two white tassels, dark Nike tracksuit bottoms and white trainers.

Detective Sergeant Fiona Jackson from Lancaster CID said, “Fortunately, the victim was not seriously hurt but it must have been a frightening experience for him.

“I would appeal to anyone who witnessed what happened or who has information to come forward and contact the police.”

Anyone with information is asked to call Lancaster CID on 101.