A WOMAN was assaulted after disturbing two men she caught burgling a house owned by an elderly neighbour.

The 42-year-old victim was knocked to the ground and suffered injuries to her hands and knees as the intruders ran out of the property in Bankside, Lymington.

The house belongs to a 69-year-old woman who had gone out. Three hours later one of her neighbours realised that the pensioner’s front door was open and went to investigate.

A police spokesman said: “She entered the premises and called out the owner’s name.

“Two men ran down the stairs, knocking her to the ground and causing injuries to her hands and knees before fleeing through the front door.”

One of the intruders was white, aged about 27, between 5ft 8in and 6ft, with shaved brown hair and a shaved line through his left eyebrow.

His accomplice is described as white, aged about 25, 5ft 4in, of medium build, bald, with marks or spots on his lower face.

Anyone with information about the break-in on July 5 should contact Detective Constable Christopher Bradford at Lyndhurst police station on 101.