A man who was visiting Sidmouth for the first time was left shaken after a stranger reportedly pulled a ‘sharp metal weapon’ out on him.

Joshua Few, who had travelled to Devon from America to visit family with his wife Lauren, said the incident happened on February 11 near the public toilet at Port Royal.

Mr Few, 28, said a man who appeared to be homeless asked him if he was okay as he made his way into the toilets.

Once outside and waiting for his wife, Mr Few said he noticed the man loitering close-by.

Uneasy, but left waiting for Mrs Few, he was shocked when the man allegedly accosted him, pulling out a metal object from his jacket and saying: "Do you have a f****** problem with me?"

Mr Few said: "The man was within ten metres of me and was holding a sharp metal object.

"I am 99 per cent sure it was a metal object.

"I ran around him as fast as I could. The man shouted at three elderly people outside the toilets as well."

Mr Few grabbed his wife and the two ran to Sidmouth Lifeboat Station, where they were allowed to use a phone to call the police.

He said officers arrived about an hour later, but were tasked to another incident in Sidmouth - believed to have been involving the same man who he was confronted by.

Mr Few described the man as having a deep Scottish accent, had a large black dog next to him, and appeared under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

He said: "You do not want to tar people with the same brush but he appeared to be homeless.

"You do not do something like that unless you're an aggressive person, under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or have mental health issues.

"My main reason for reporting this is to make people aware.

"I would have been quite happy to stay in town for the rest of the day if the police had picked him up, but they didn't, so we ended up leaving."

A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said: "Police were called with reports of a public order offence on The Esplanade in Sidmouth at around noon on Tuesday, February 11, in which a man was verbally harassed by another male.

"Enquiries were carried out but unfortunately there was insufficient evidence to enable officers to progress further."