A 37-year-old Asian man was punched in the face and head and had his mobile phone and £500 stolen as he walked in Barnes.

The man was subjected to a torrent of abuse by two white youths as he walked towards Rocks Lane past a path leading to Barnes Common moments before the attack.

As he headed towards the sports centre at 8.30pm on Monday the youths began shouting and waving big sticks and branches.

He turned round to walk away but heard the youths shouting racist and homophobic abuse before they attacked him with the sticks and branches and punched him in the face and around the head.

He managed to run back to his van, which he had parked in Mill Hill Road, and climb in but one of the youths opened the door and asked him where he thought he was going.

The youth then started to punch the man around the head shouting: "Where's your wallet? Give me all you've got."

The victim said he didn't have anything and with that the youth grabbed him and pulled him out of the van. But the man managed to escape and ran to the road were he tried to flag down a car.

Two more youths appeared on mountain bikes from the common and chased the victim hitting him with sticks and branches.

Eventually the man stopped a black cab and jumped into the back, they followed the youths along Rocks Lane but lost sight of them as they headed onto the common.

One of the youths escaped with a rucksack taken from under the seat of the man's van.

Police were called and as they were assisting the victim a member of the public returned his rucksack, it had been found near the sports centre.

Most of the property was still in the bag, although a mobile phone and £500 had been stolen.

The suspects are described as white males all around 6ft tall. There was a 16-year-old, with dark brown hair wearing dark clothes with a dark blue baseball cap, an 18-year-old, with short wavy ginger hair and a 20-year-old with short brown hair wearing grey tracksuit bottoms and a dark baseball cap. An 18-year-old with short dark brown hair riding a mountain bike, a 19-year-old with short dark brown hair wearing dark clothing and a baseball cap riding a mountain bike and a 20-year-old with short brown hair wearing a hooded top.

Any one with information should contact PC Kathy Fenwick on 8247 7042, email kathryn.fenwick@met.police.uk or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.