A teenager who uses a bike to deliver newspapers and travel to college claims he was assaulted by a jogger who then trashed his bike.

The 16-year-old, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Comet that he was out delivering newspapers on Radcliffe Road in Hitchin on February 9 when he was assaulted by a man.

The student at Stevenage Skills College had been riding his grey mountain bike on the footpath, when he accidently rode into a jogger.

The incident happened at around 7am.

He said: “I know I shouldn’t have been on the footpath but I apologised as soon as I bumped into him. He asked me to get off my bike, which I did and then he asked me to let the air out of my tyres. He kept repeating himself, but I told him that I needed to finish off my paper round and that I use the bike to travel to college.

“He then grabbed me by the neck and was strangling me, he threatened to punch me. He then picked up my bike and threw it on the floor four times, which broke it. I kept saying ‘what are you doing’ but he just carried on.”

The mechanics level 1 student now travels to college in Stevenage by bus after completing his daily paper round in Hitchin.

He has managed to fix his bike sufficiently so he can carry out his paper rounds, which he starts at 6.30am each morning from Blakes Corner Store on Ickleford Road, but is unable to use the bike to get to college.

Police are appealing for witnesses and information the incident.

The offender is described by police as a white man in his 60s or 70s who is 5ft 9in.

He was wearing black jogging bottoms, and a bright T-shirt, and carried on jogging along Radcliffe Road after the incident.

Anyone with information is asked to call the police non-emergency number on 101.