POLICE have hit out at online rumours surrounding reports of an attempted dog-napping.

Rumours of a man attempting to steal a dog from a car have been the subject on a local Facebook page, Romsey News & Information.

The post alleges that yesterday afternoon a man, who was parked in the Romsey carpark off of Broadwater Road, spotted a thief attempting to take a dog from his car resulting in an altercation.

The post claims that the victim of the attack "attempted to inform an officer of the incident but was told they could only take the victim's details".

Test Valley Police have hit out at the rumours claiming that no local officers were on duty at the time of the incident.

The post on the Test Valley Cops Facebook page reads: "We are aware of a post on the Romsey News & Information page warning people about an incident yesterday in Romsey, whereby a male tried to take a dog from a car resulting in an altercation between the owner and would-be thief.

"The post explains that the victim informed a police officer who said they could merely take details.

"No local officers were on duty at the time of the incident so we can only assume that the matter was reported to a uniformed parking enforcement officer or council employee.

"No suspicious incidents, no thefts and no public order incidents have been reported to us during the time period which, given the time of day, location and the fact a ‘scuffle’ took place, is unusual.

"We would urge the victim to come forward to confirm what actually happened and quash the rumours which naturally cause concern for those in our community."