A woman was left shaken and upset after being racially abused in Highcliffe this week.

Police are investigating the incident in Highcliffe and appealing for information from the public.

It happened between 9.30pm and 9.45pm on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for Dorset Police said a woman was walking along Lymington Road, close to the Co-op store, when a small silver car containing a number of men, stopped on the opposite side of the road.

The driver wound down the window, shouted repeated racial abuse at her and drove away.

The offender is described as white, aged around 20 years old, with brown or ginger hair and a round face.

The victim – a woman aged in her 20s from the Hatfield area of Hertfordshire – was not physically injured.

An investigation is now underway and officers have been carrying out CCTV enquiries in the area.

Police Constable Andy Kennedy, of Christchurch police, said: “The woman was understandably upset and shaken following this unprovoked incident.

“I am appealing to anyone who was in the area of Lymington Road between the relevant times and saw or heard anything suspicious to please contact me.

“Racial abuse and hate crime has no place in our community and Dorset Police takes all reports extremely seriously.”