POLICE are appealing for any information that may help them find a man who attacked a woman and her dogs in a racially motivated assault.

Nazia Aamir, 47, said she and her two dogs, Benji and Chicago, were almost pushed into the canal in Worcester by a man who threatened to kill her, on Monday evening.

It was only when one of her dogs bared his teeth that the attacker backed off, she said.

A spokesman for West Mercia Police said: “On Monday (15 June) we were contacted by an individual who had been assaulted on the canal path between Canalside street and Georges Lane North at approximately 8pm.”

Chief Inspector Gareth Morgan from Worcester said: “We are currently investigating this incident and are appealing to anyone who may have information or may have seen the incident take place.”

The mother-of-two said: “I was taking my two dogs for their evening walk down the canal when a man who was also walking his dog started shouting at me. He said he was going to kill me and my dogs. I kept my head down and tried to walk past him but he grabbed my hijab and pulled it. It came off and fell to the ground.”

Mrs Aamir said the man then tried to kick her and her dogs into the canal at Perdiswell whilst shouting extremely abusive racial language.

The care assistant for St Stephens Care Home in Droitwich added: “I was absolutely terrified, he kicked my dog and tried to force us into the canal. He only stopped when my big dog started showing his teeth to try and protect me.”

Another dog walker, Dawn Brown, found Mrs Aamir moments after the attack and stayed with her until the police arrived. Mrs Brown said: “She looked really shaken up. She was really scared. When she told me her and her dogs had been attacked, I was disgusted.”

Mrs Aamir says she has been left feeling angry and hurt after the ordeal and hopes that by telling her story her attacker will be caught and others won’t have to go through the same trauma..

She said: “This was a scary and unprovoked attack by a man I didn’t know. He is still out there. If anyone saw anything please contact the police before he hurts someone else.”

She described the man as 25, about 5ft 5 with dark hair. He was wearing black joggers and a black top and was walking with a Labrador.

Call police on 101 quoting reference 725s 150620.