Police are appealing for witnesses after an 80-year-old woman fought off a man while walking her dog near an airfield in Gloucestershire.

According to the woman, the alleged assault occurred on Monday at around 11.30am when a man emerged from woodland in Stoke Orchard near Cheltenham shouting “get off my land” and hit her in the mouth.

The woman was left with bruising and a small cut. In reaction, the victim said she immediately grabbed the man’s testicles, causing him to fall to the ground, before calmly walking away in the opposite direction and not looking back.

Officers have requested that anyone with information about the incident should come forward.

The man is described as white, aged between 25 and 35, 5ft 8in tall, of slim build, with dark hair and wearing blue jeans, a black/navy jacket, brown working boots and a navy baseball cap. He was suntanned and spoke with a young voice, the woman said.

Gloucestershire police said: “Clearly ... the attacker got more than he bargained for. We need information about this incident. It would have been a terrible experience for a person of any age and we would urge anyone who can help to come forward and call 101, quoting incident 143 of 4 August.”