A TWELVE-year-old boy has been robbed of his bicycle in Runcorn.

The young victim was riding his lime green mountain bike along Heath Road near to the junction with Boston Avenue at around 5pm yesterday, Sunday, when he was attacked.

An ‘unknown man’ approached him from behind and pushed him off his bike onto the floor, causing minor injuries.

His assailant – who was white, in his mid to late 20s, around 6ft4 with a slim build and was wearing a black zip-up hoodie with the hood up, dark grey tracksuit bottoms, black trainers and a black face mask – then rode away into the Town Hall Park.

The bicycle was recovered at an address on Irwell lane shortly afterwards, and Cheshire Police’s enquiries into the incident are ‘ongoing’.

Detective constable Nathaniel Walkowiak said: “The young victim has understandably been left upset and shaken up by this frightening incident.

“Thankfully he has his bike back.

“We found it at a well-known abandoned house in Irwell Lane around 25 minutes after the robbery took place.

“I would like to reassure members of the community that the fact the stolen bike has been recovered in no way diminishes our determination to establish who committed the robbery and make him face the consequences of his actions.

“Enquiries are ongoing, and I urge anyone who was in the area and saw anything that may aid our investigation to contact us at Runcorn Police Station.

“The same goes for anyone who thinks they may know who the offender is, or have CCTV or dashcam footage of him.”

Anyone with information is urged to contact Cheshire Police on 101, quoting incident number IML825523, or to call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.