AN elderly woman was threatened with what is believed to have been a knife during an attempted robbery in Moreton.

Police are appealing for witnesses to the incident, which occured in Blackthorne Close on Monday.

At around 9.40am the 70-year-old woman was walking along Blackthorne Close in the direction of Blackthorne Close car park, when she noticed a man wearing a black hooded top with the hood pulled up.

As she neared the man, he produced what is believed to have been a small knife and demanded that she give him her money.

When the woman did not meet his demands, he walked off in the direction of Sandbrook Lane.

Detective Constable Jonathan Head said: "This is an incredibly cowardly and opportunistic attempt at frightening a vulnerable woman into handing over her money.

"We take incidents of this nature very seriously and will not tolerate such behaviour. We are urging anybody who believes they may have witnessed the incident, or who has any information relating to the offender to contact us."

The man is described as being white, with a pale complexion, fair hair and blue eyes.

He was around five ft six inches tall and is believed to be in his teens. He spoke with a local Merseyside accent and was wearing a black hooded top with a full zip and dark tracksuit bottoms.

Anybody with any information is asked to contact Birkenhead CID on 0151 777 2247 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.