The youngster was sent into a house in the town on Friday afternoon while working with an adult.

The child was found inside a house by the owner - he then fled empty handed from the scene with an adult.

Police said the householder was alerted by the sound of breaking glass and that when he went into his kitchen he found a small boy standing in the middle of it.

Punched

The child escaped by leaping jumping onto a work surface and then being helped out of a broken window by a man outside.

The owner of the house chased them into the street and was finally able to confront them on a footbridge running between Sincil Banks and Hermit Street.

Police said, at that point, the man stopped carrying the child and approached the householder in an aggressive manner.

But the man was punched in the face by the householder, who then returned home.

Distinctive teeth

The boy and the man he was with were last seen in the Hermit Street area of the town.

Nothing was stolen from the house, but police said about £50 worth of damage had been done.

Police have appealed for witnesses and described the man with the child as being in his early 30s, around 5ft 7ins, of slight build with a slim face.

He is said to have a distinctive gap between his two front teeth and was wearing a blue baseball cap, blue shellsuit top and dark trousers.