A YOUNG woman, who offered a lift to a lost man, was subjected to a brutal attack with a meat cleaver.

The 23-year-old was walking to her car at the Aldi car park in Higher Bridge Street, Bolton, at 5.45pm on Friday, when she noticed a man on his phone who seemed to be lost.

He asked her where he was and she helped him by giving the person he was speaking to their exact location.

As she got into her car, the man, who called himself Kevin, seemed pleasant and asked her for directions to the Ikon nightclub and she offered to give him a lift there.

She dropped him off on Duke Street, near the Salvation Army building, and the man thanked her and opened the car door as if to leave.

It was at that point he suddenly grabbed her handbag from the back seat.

The woman tried to grab him and he made off, but then fell over, so she got out of her car and started wrestling with him in order to retrieve her bag.

During the struggle, she was struck on her head several times.

She screamed, the man ran off and she realised she was covered in blood.

The woman was taken to the Royal Bolton Hospital, where she was treated with 20 stitches to her injuries.

It is believed that she was attacked with a meat cleaver.

The offender is described as being a white man, aged between 25 and 30, 5ft 6ins to 5ft 10ins tall, of stocky build with a squashed nose and stubble. He was wearing a dark hooded top with light sleeves.

Following the attack, he ran away towards the Salvation Army, leaving the woman's bag behind.

Officers are appealing for anyone who witnessed any part of the incident to come forward.

Det Insp Andy Meeks, of Bolton CID, said: "This was a shocking and needless attack on a young woman who was being extremely generous to someone she thought was lost.

"It has left her with quite serious injuries and feeling terribly shaken.

"We're doing all we can to find whoever did this, but I'm appealing to anyone who may have seen this man before or after he was given a lift by the victim to contact us. Did you see him pacing round the car park on his phone? Do you know who 'Kevin' is? If you do, you must call us."

Anyone with any information should call Bolton CID on 0161 856 5740 or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.