A woman was sprayed in the face with an unknown substance by a stranger as she walked her dog in Edinburgh.

The 45-year-old was on a footpath near to the Skelf Bike Park in Bowmont Place when she was approached by a man with a German accent who began speaking to her about her dog.

After a short exchange he sprayed the substance, thought to possibly be CS spray, into the woman's face.

The victim immediately began to feel unwell and was assisted by bystanders before going to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for treatment.

Police said she has now fully recovered but was left "badly shaken" by the attack, which happened at around 6.15pm on Saturday.

The suspect is described as a white man with a slim build, around 5ft 10in in height with red hair and beard and a spotty complexion.

At the time of the attack he was wearing a dark navy beanie hat, a heavy dark jumper and dark trousers. He was carrying a brown paper bag and a black rucksack.

Detective inspector Graham Grant of Edinburgh's Criminal Investigation Department said: "This was a frightening attack on a female dog walker who has been left badly shaken by this incident.

"Fortunately the attack has not had any lasting effect, however the consequences could have been much more serious.

"We are eager to trace this man as soon as possible. I would urge anyone who was in the Bowmont Place area in the early evening of Saturday, April 23, and saw this man or anything else suspicious to contact us.

"I would also ask any other dog walkers who may have had any interactions with this man to get in touch with us and report their encounter to police."

Anyone with information can contact police on 101.