TWO knifepoint robberies took place within the Stourbridge area over the weekend, with police carrying out high visibility patrols to reassure residents.

An 18-year-old who was threatened with a knife and assaulted in Kinver on Friday (August 21) was the first reported robbery in the village for 12 months.

While in an incident that could be related, a Wollaston man was the victim of an armed robbery on Sunday afternoon (August 23) on the canal path to Wordsley.

The Kinver incident saw a man, from Stourbridge, sitting in a wooded area near the playing fields at Kinver Community Centre at around 3.25pm, when he was approached by a group of about eight males.

They threatened him with a knife and demanded his bag. Initially the victim refused but he handed it over after he was assaulted.

The offenders made off with the bag towards the village, some of them riding bikes, leaving the victim with facial injuries including bruising and cuts to his neck and hand. He was checked by paramedics and later attended Russells Hall Hospital for treatment.

The main suspect is described by Staffordshire Police as an Asian male aged 17 to 18, skinny build, and 6ft tall. He had short black hair and wore a white polo t-shirt and blue jeans.

He was accompanied by about seven other males aged between 17 and 18. One was white with curly ginger hair and a chubby build, while the rest were Asian.

The stolen bag was described as an A5 size pouch, white, with a paint splash effect black pattern. It contained a Sony Xperia and an Apple iPhone.

Chief Inspector Giles Parsons, local policing team commander, said: “Fortunately, this type of incident is very unusual in Kinver, there have been no other reported robberies in the past 12 months and generally crime in the area is very low.

“We are treating it very seriously and detectives are carrying out a thorough investigation. Local neighbourhood officers are carrying out high visibility patrols in the area to provide reassurance to residents.”

Witnesses, or anyone with information on the incident, are asked to call DC Matt Gould at Staffordshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 469 of August 21.

The canal path robbery took place at about 1.30pm on Sunday while the victim was walking from his home in Wollaston to Wordsley.

He was crossing the canal when a young man, who was standing on the bridge, asked the victim what the time was. As the victim took his phone out of his pocket the man pulled out a 12 inch knife and pointed it to the victim’s ribs.

The victim handed the man his phone and was further threatened before running off.

West Midlands Police are investigating the incident and describe the assailant as a white male, about 19 years of age, 5ft 9ins, thin build, and wearing bright red tracksuit bottoms with a navy blue jumper and a black cap.

Anyone with information which could help the canal path investigation is being asked to call Dudley’s Investigation Team on 101.