A young man was assaulted before would-be thieves tried to rummage through his pockets in the early hours of Friday morning.

A 21-year-old man was walking along Neil Avenue in the direction of Dickson Drive at around 2.15am when two men ran up behind him and knocked him to the ground.

They attempted to go through his pockets however the victim managed to get to his feet and they ran off, heading towards Livingstone Terrace.

The first suspect is described as white, 6ft, with black hair and wearing a grey Nike hoodie and grey jogging bottoms.

The second suspect is described as white, 6ft, and wearing a black and white horizontal striped Fred Perry hoodie, grey jogging bottoms and white shoes.

Emergency services were called and the victim was treated by paramedics at the scene.

Detective Constable Lynsey Menzies from Saltcoats CID said: “This was an opportunist attack on an innocent young man and thankfully he was not seriously hurt.

“I would appeal to anyone who witnessed a disturbance, or noticed two men matching the above descriptions, to please come forward."

Anyone with information is asked to contact Saltcoats CID via 101, quoting incident number 0341 of Friday 1 June 2018.

Alternatively you can call CRIMESTOPPERS on 0800 555 111 where details can be given anonymously.