A man has come forward following a photo appeal after a man tried to punch another and shouted homophobic comments.

At around 8pm on Saturday, August 28, the victims - two local men - were walking their two dogs behind the St Andrews Trading Estate, in an area where there are two small enclosed compounds in which they could let their dogs off their leads.

A man approached and asked if he could use the same compound that they were in to let his dog off the lead. The couple explained that one of their dogs was a rescue dog that needed further training and asked if the man could use the other enclosure instead.

The man became abusive and punched out at one of the men, before making a number of homophobic comments.

Following an image appeal, a man has come forward in connection with the incident and is assisting officers with their enquiries. No arrests have been made.

Officers are continuing to appeal for anyone who witnessed the incident to come forward.

Police Constable Dan White, of West Dorset police, said: "We take all reports of hate crime extremely seriously and are carrying out a full investigation into this incident.

"I would also like to hear from anyone who was in the area and witnessed this altercation."

Anyone with information should contact Dorset Police at [L] https://www.dorset.police.uk/do-it-online/ [L+] dorset.police.uk, email [email protected] or call 101, quoting incident number 55210139280.