A MAN was brutally robbed for his car by a gang of men as he left a Chinese takeaway in Accrington.

Detectives said the man was punched to the floor and kicked in the head during the ‘terrifying’ and ‘nasty’ attack, before the robbers escaped with his Citroen Saxo.

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The victim suffered two broken ribs in the attack which happened as he left the Golden Apple in Avenue Parade at 8.45pm on Sunday.

When he left the takeaway the victim, who is from Accrington and in his 30s, was approached by three men who demanded his car keys.

Before he had much time to respond he was punched by one of the men and then repeatedly kicked in the head and body when he was on the ground.

The robbers then escaped with the man’s green X reg car, mobile phone and wallet.

They are descried as three white males, wearing hoodies and dark clothing.

The attack has been described as ‘frightening’ and ‘shocking’ by residents and politicians.

A worker at the Golden Apple said: “When he came in to the shop he looked in a bad way. His face was covered in blood, it was pouring from his mouth and he was complaining of back pain.

“I felt really bad for him. He said he had been attacked by three teenagers when he had walked out with his food.

“They had asked him for his keys. He told me he said ‘what do you mean’ and then one of them punched him. When he was on the floor they were kicking him in the head and stomach.

“They took his mobile phone, cars and wallet. We just rang the police and ambulance and they were here very quickly. I just hope he is okay.”

Hyndburn MP Graham Jones said: “This is very unusual as we don’t get many street robberies at all. I’m quite surprised and shocked by it.

“I feel for the victim as it must have been a terrifying experience. I am just glad his injuries didn’t turn out to be worse. Now I hope the perpetrators are caught and dealt with in the most serious manner.”

A resident, who has lived in Avenue Parade for 30 years, said: “The first I heard about it is when the police knocked on my door, said a young man had been mugged and asked if I had seen what happened.

“It is very worrying for this to happen on my street. It makes me very wary about going out.”

Another resident said: “I was walking up the street at about 9pm and I saw the police cars driving to the chip shop with their blue lights flashing.”

The man was taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital for treatment for his broken ribs and bruising throughout his body.

Detective Constable Bryony Midgley said: “The victim in this case was subjected to a nasty attack and we are appealing to anyone with any information about what happened to contact us.

“If anyone was in the vicinity of Avenue Parade and Pembroke Street and saw anything suspicious, or if anyone has seen a dark green Saxo, I would urge them to come forward as soon as possible.”

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101, quoting log reference LC201601031167. Alternatively call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.