Police today appealed for witnesses after an 11-year-old boy was threatened with a knife in Oxford.

At about 7.30pm on Sunday, the 11-year-old was cycling on his bike on the Blackbird Leys estate when he was approached by a man.

The man threatened the boy and told him to give him his cycle, at which point the boy cycled away.

The robber is described as black, about 5ft 10in tall and about 30 years old. He had a scarf over his face and was wearing a knitted-style baseball cap, black trousers and dark-coloured trainers.

Det Con Steve Martin said: “We are not entirely sure of the exact location of the attempted robbery at this time as the boy is new to the area. However, we believe that it happened in an alleyway near to Willow Way.

“Thankfully the boy was unharmed in the incident, but was shocked by what happened and it wasn’t until yesterday that it was reported to us.

“I would urge anyone who might have witnessed this incident, or anyone with information about the person responsible, to contact me as soon as possible.”

Anyone with information should contact Det Con Martin via the 24-hour Thames Valley Police Enquiry Line on 0845 8 505 505, or alternatively contact the Crimestoppers charity anonymously on 0800 555 111.