AN ELDERLY man has been taken to hospital after 'being pushed to the ground and headbutted' outside a garden centre in Dorchester, police say.

Officers received a report at around 10.50am on Sunday October 17 of an assault outside Poundbury Garden Centre on Peverell Avenue East.

It is reported that the victim – a local elderly man – was pushed to the ground and headbutted. He attended hospital for treatment to bruising.

According to officers, the allaged offender left the scene and was later reported to be outside the garden of a nearby property.

It is alleged that he threw liquid, believed to be alcohol, toward the occupant.

Officers attended and a 30-year-old man from Dorchester was arrested in connection with the incident.

He has since been charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm, assault by beating and possession of a controlled drug of class B and is due to appear at Poole Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday October 19.

Inspector Darren Stanton, of West Dorset Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “I want to pass on my thanks to the members of the public who helped the injured man and contacted the police about this incident.

“The local neighbourhood policing team will be carrying out patrols in the area and can be approached by anyone with any concerns.”