An 81-year-old man was held at knife point inside his Ayr home before being forced to a bank to withdraw money.

Police are hunting the man responsible for the "extremely distressing" assault on the pensioner on Friday.

Detectives believe the suspect may have been watching his victim for several days before the attempted robbery.

The incident began at around 11.45am on Friday when the pensioner answered the door of his Park Circus home to a man carrying a knife.

The man pushed his way into the property demanding money before forcing the victim into his car.

The pensioner was instructed to drive to a nearby bank and withdraw money.

He made his way to NatWest on Miller Road and managed to raise the alarm.

The suspect got out of the vehicle and made off.

Detective Sergeant Craig Semple said: "This was an extremely distressing experience for the elderly man and thankfully he was not injured, however it is absolutely vital that we trace the individual responsible for this despicable crime."

The suspect is described as white, between 25 and 30 years old, clean shaven and well spoken. He was wearing a dark jacket with the hood up and dark tracksuit bottoms.

"From enquiries carried out so far, we understand the suspect was seen in a lane behind Park Circus shortly before the incident took place" DS Semple continued.

"I would appeal to anyone who noticed a man matching the above description or anything at all suspicious in the area to please get in touch.

"I would also appeal to anyone who saw a Jaguar parked outside the Fairfield House Hotel, or a man running away towards Ayr Shore, to come forward.

"We believe the suspect may have also been observing the victim's movements at his home in the days leading up to the incident and I would urge anyone who has noticed any suspicious activity in the area recently to contact police.

"Extra patrols will be in the area to provide reassurance and I would encourage anyone with information or concerns to approach them."