Police are appealing for information after a teenage girl was assaulted on a footpath near Connaught Place last night.

The 16-year-old was approached from behind by an unidentified person who made an attempt to grab her clothing.

The girl’s dog then barked and the person fled in an unknown direction.

The incident happened between 9.20pm and 9.25pm.

The person is believed to be male and of average build. They were wearing a dark coloured puffa jacket.

Detective Inspector Paul Greig of Edinburgh CID said: “The girl was not injured but was understandably shaken by the incident.

“We are carrying extensive enquiries to establish the full circumstances and people may notice an ongoing police presence in the area.

“I would appeal to anyone who was in the area around Connaught Place who may have seen anything suspicious or out of the ordinary to come forward and pass this information to police.

“I would also ask anyone who may have private CCTV or dashcam footage to review this and pass anything of note to us.

“Anyone with information can contact police on 101, quoting incident 3752 of 31 August, or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”