A MAN was mugged after he was spotted carrying 24 cans of Fosters beer from a supermarket.

At first, the three men and a woman bungled the street robbery after snatching the wrong carrier bag from the victim, in Burnley Road, Blackburn, near the junction of Hereford Road, at 9.10pm on Tuesday.

But they quickly realised the mistake and returned to punch the 27-year-old man in the face, before running off with the beer, bought from the nearby Tesco supermarket.

Police said the victim was shaken, and suffered minor injuries.

The first man is described as aged about 35, 6ft 1in, stocky and clean shaven, with dimples on his face. He had a plaster cast on his right arm and a gold bracelet on his left and was wearing dark clothing.

The second man is about 28, 5ft 7in, slim, and has black spikey hair. The third man is about 27, 5ft 7in, slim, and was wearing a beige jumper.

The woman is about 30, slim, and was wearing a brown jumper. All are white and spoke with local accents. Anyone with information should call Blackburn CID on 01254 353569.