TWO TEENAGERS have been robbed in a park near Morrisons after being threatened by two men who claimed to have a knife.

The boy and girl, aged 16 and 15, were walking through King George V playing fields, also known as Brookvale Park, together last night when they were approached from behind by two older men, police say.

They apparently stole a mobile phone and purse, and made off through the underpass.

The incident took place between 7 and 7.15pm, and the pair were left shaken but unhurt.

Neighbourhood Inspector Richard Lane said: “We would like to reassure the public that we take incidents of this kind extremely seriously and we are carrying out a thorough and robust investigation to trace these suspects.

“Two other robberies have been reported to us in the last few days. I cannot say at this time whether any of the incidents are linked but of course, this is one of several lines of enquiry.

“Officers from our Neighbourhood Team and from our Response and Patrol Team will be carrying out high visibility foot, cycle and vehicle patrols in the community over the weekend and the next few days.

“Please go and speak to them if you have any concerns."

The first suspect is described as being a white male in his mid-40s, with a bushy ginger beard, a ‘croaky’ voice and was coughing during the robbery. Police say he was wearing a coat with the hood up.

The second male is also described as white, who was wearing a grey coat with the hood up, with fur around the hood.

Hampshire Constabulary are appealing for people who might have been in the area to come forward.

Insp. Lane continued: “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? 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 44200002134.

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

The incident happened on January 2 at around 7pm, coming after a number of incidents that happened in Basingstoke over the New Year period.

On New Year's Eve, two men stole a rucksack containing clothes, a bracelet and a mobile phone from a 28-year-old sitting at a bus stop in Popley.

And on New Year's Day, a bandana-clad teenager wielding a knife approached a man near Morrisons, asking for the victim's phone and money. When he refused, the boy, described as 16 or 17, ran off.