A 17-year-old boy was left with a black eye after being punched by an attempted car-jacker in Doffcocker.

The teenager was at the traffic lights in Old Kiln Lane at 5.30pm on Thursday when a man in a black hooded top approached the car.

The window was down and the man reached into the car and punched the teenager by the head.

The father of the teenager said: “We think he was probably going to drag him out of the car and steal it.

“Fortunately my son was able to push the window button and, as the lights had changed, drive away, although the assailant’s arm was trapped for a short while.

“The matter has been reported to the police but they tell us it is not the first time this has happened.”

The teenager was too distressed to speak about his ordeal.

Anyone with information on the incident should call police on 101.