Several members of the public have made complaints to officers about teenagers throwing snowballs at passing cars and running in front of vehicles struggling in icy conditions in Portsmouth, Hampshire.

In one incident, at 1pm yesterday, a man was driving his blue Rover MG in Queen Street when a group of youths surrounded the vehicle and began throwing snowballs at it.

They then opened the car doors and threw snowballs inside the vehicle.

One youth was captured on CCTV running up to the car and kicking the driver's door.

The offender was white with dark hair and was wearing a dark blue Rockport coat.

About an hour later, at 2pm, a man driving his silver Skoda Octavia in the same street stopped when the car was hit with several snowballs.

He got out to challenge the youths and was attacked and hit by several more snowballs and when he returned to the car he found that his mobile phone had been stolen.

Acting Inspector Andy Clinton, of Hampshire Police, said: 'The conditions for drivers and pedestrians have been hazardous enough without the added difficulty of being hit with snowballs and attacked.

'These incidents may sound trivial but I can assure that for those involved they are not.

'We must take action against this unacceptable and very dangerous behaviour.

'It is a real shame that a small minority cannot just enjoy the snow sensibly and have caused this situation by taking their behaviour to the extreme.'