POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a 13-year-old boy was attacked and mugged for his Nokia mobile phone.

The teenager was walking along Clegg Street, Brierfield, at about 5.30pm on Tuesday when he was approached by an Asian man.

The schoolboy was then forced into a back street where the man demanded the handset.

When he refused to hand the phone over he was attacked.

DC Ruth Chew, of Nelson CID, said: "Offences of this kind are reported sporadically but there doesn't seem to be a definite pattern.

"In this instance the boy was forced down a back street by a mugger who demanded his mobile phone.

"When he refused to hand it over he was kicked several times and eventually gave the man the phone.

"We are concerned that something like this has happened and the fact that it has been an attack on a 13-year-old boy on his own is not good."

The boy suffered minor injuries in the attack.

The mugger is described as Asian, about 17-years-old, 5ft 10in tall and of a thin build.

He was wearing a brown or green hat pulled down over his eyes and a white sweater pulled up to his nose.

Anyone with information about the incident should contact Nelson CID on 01282 472644.