A balaclava-wearing mugger stabbed a teenager in Hitchin after trying to steal a bag – and police have today appealed for witnesses.

At about 9pm on Monday, September 25, two teenage boys aged 16 and 17 were walking across the field between Purwell Lane and Chaucer Way, opposite Mill Close, when a man approached them.

He tried to steal their bag, then stabbed the 17-year-old in the thigh with what police have described as “an unknown implement” and fled the scene. The boy required stitches.

The attacker is described as a skinny white man, about 5ft 4in tall, wearing a full red tracksuit with the hood up, red trainers and a black balaclava.

Anyone with information should call the local crime unit at Hitchin Police Station on 101, quoting crime reference G1/17/2973, or report information online at contacthertspolice.uk/report/crime.

Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or through their anonymous online form at crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information cannot be traced or recorded and you will not go to court.