A boy was repeatedly punched and had his coat stolen in a vicious town centre robbery.

A man has been arrested after the victim was confronted in a car park in Ashford in broad daylight.

The 16-year-old victim had been walking in Vicarage Lane car park with some friends when he was approached by two men.

The suspects demanded he remove his coat, and when he refused he was punched several times before the suspects forcibly unzipped his coat and stole it.

The incident happened between 1.30pm and 1.45pm on Monday, January 23, and police arrested an 18-year-old man on suspicion of robbery later the same day.

The suspect was released on bail pending further inquiries.

Officers are appealing for information from the public to aid in their investigation.

A police spokesperson said: "It is believed the car park may have been busy at the time, with students heading to and from the nearby college and drivers are also asked to check dashcam for any important footage."

If you can help, call police on 01843 222289, quoting reference 46/13839/23.

You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111, or by using the online form on their website.