POLICE scrambled their spotter plane on Monday after a woman was threatened by an armed teenager demanding money. The incident happened at Andover's Anton Lakes car park at 1.20pm.

The woman, in her early 40s and from a village to the west of the town, had called at the lakes to exercise her two dogs.

"She got out of her vehicle and as she was about to let her dogs out she heard a voice behind her shout 'Oi, You!'," said Pc Ted Reynolds.

"She turned around and there was a man standing about two feet away pointing an air rifle at her.

"He said 'Have you got any money'?"

The woman told him her husband had advised her not to carry any cash.

But he made her turn out her pockets and searched the interior of her car before running off to the gate which links the lakes with the housing estate at Artists Way.

Although the man had not actually threatened to shoot her, the woman was left extremely frightened.

Within half an hour the police spotter plane was scrambled but failed to find any trace of the offender.

"This was an extremely distressing incident for this woman who was visiting an attraction in Andover only to be confronted by an armed person and threatened in this manner," said PC Reynolds.

"We are asking anyone who may have seen this person leave the nature reserve or who can identify this person to call us on the police appeals line, 01256 405131."

The man police are looking for is aged about 18 or 19, 5ft 10ins tall, with thick, dark hair and is close shaven with a baby face.

He was wearing a blue top with the work 'Nike' in white, matching dark blue shell suit bottoms with trainers and he spoke with a local Hampshire accent.

The air rifle had a black barrel about 14 inches long and the rest of it was wood-coloured.