A brazen thief tried to steal a car by jumping into the driver's seat and then attempting to push it along the street.

A teenage boy was sitting in the passenger seat of a white Peugeot which was parked in Lime Grove, Livingston, when the man got in the driver's seat.

The passenger managed to grab the keys from the ignition before the thief could start the engine and ran off.

The suspect ran after him and attacked him before trying to snatch the keys.

He then tried to push the car along the street before giving up and fleeing the scene.

He was last seen heading in the direction of Craigshill East Road before being lost from view.

Witnesses to the incident, which happened on Wednesday at 9.30pm, are urged to come forward. The suspect is described as white, in his late teens, and around 5ft 6in tall.

He was wearing grey hooded tracksuit with the hood up partially covering his face, grey tracksuit bottoms and dark coloured Adidas trainers.

Detective Constable Iain Duncan of Livingston CID said: "Although the victim was not seriously injured, the brazen nature of this crime is quite remarkable.

"We are pursuing various lines of enquiry including a review of the local CCTV network and carrying out door-to-door enquiries.

"However, I'm now appealing to anyone in the local community who can help identify the suspect to come forward.

"I'd also be interested to hear from anyone who was in the Craigshill area of Livingston on Wednesday night and who noticed any suspicious behaviour."

Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101 or alternatively an anonymous report can be made to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.