A MAN was robbed by two men at a Basingstoke bus stop on New Year's Eve.

Officers have since issued an appeal for witnesses who might have seen the two men, who were both wearing ‘black face coverings with a distinctive lip design’ and one of whom is described as ‘tubby’.

The incident took place between 11.30pm and midnight on Tuesday, December 31.

The victim was sat at a bus stop in Shakespeare Road, by the path leading to the park next to Dryden Close.

He was approached by two males, believed to be aged between 18 and 21, who threatened him and stole his Nike Club Team M rucksack containing clothing, a silver bracelet and a One Plus 5T mobile phone.

After stealing the items, the culprits made off up the pathway towards the play area.

The first is described as being black, slim and around five foot nine inches tall. He was wearing a black hoody, dark coloured bottoms and a black face covering with a single lip design on it.

The second man is of unknown skin colour but was described as being ‘tubby’. He was also wearing the same face covering with a lip design.

Neigbourhood Inspector Richard Lane said: “We would like to assure the public that we take incidents of this kind extremely seriously and we are carrying out a thorough and robust investigation to trace those responsible.

“In the meantime, we will be conducting extra patrols in the area. If you have specific concerns, don’t hesitate to speak to our officers.

“You can also contact the Neighbourhood Team by calling 101 or by emailing Basingstoke.Town.Police@hampshire.pnn.police.uk.

“We would also ask you to remain vigilant and report anything suspicious. Were you in the area at the time? Do you recognise the description of these face coverings and the distinctive lip design? Do you have CCTV or dash cam footage that might show something of interest?

“If you have any information about this crime, please get in touch by calling 101 and quoting 44200000217.

“Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”