POLICE are appealing for witnesses following two muggings in Basingstoke which may be linked.

The first incident took place between 12.45am and 1am on Sunday, October 12 at War Memorial Park.

The victim, a 46-year-old man, was walking across the park when he was approached by two men.

The muggers claimed to have a knife, but this was not seen, and demanded money. The victim handed over a small amount of cash and his mobile phone.

One of the suspects is described as white, shorter than 5ft 10ins, and was wearing a red hooded top. He spoke with a London or Basingstoke accent.

The second incident happened the following day, between 9.20pm and 9.40pm.

A 33-year-old woman was approached by two men as she walked along Soper Grove, South View.

One of the men told the woman that they had a knife, but again this was not seen.

The men took the victim’s handbag which contained a number of items including a silver Sony Ericsson Walkman W395 mobile phone, a black iPod classic and a Canon camera.

The victim described the men as white and being between 5ft 9ins and 5ft 11ins.

One of the muggers had cropped blond hair and wore a white tracksuit top. It is believed he is in his 20s.

The other man is thin, had longish hair under a dark beanie hat, a full beard, and is aged in his late 20s or early 30s.

Anyone with information should contact Basingstoke police on 101.