An appeal has been launched to track down a teenage boy after a rough sleeper was set on fire, leaving him needing surgery for serious burns.

The victim, who is in his 40s, suffered severe injuries to his torso following the attack in Canterbury.

Police and paramedics were called to the scene behind the Kingsmead Leisure Centre in Kingsmead Road at about 4.30pm last Monday, and the homeless man was taken to hospital.

Detectives are now urging anyone who saw the incident to come forward.

They particularly want to track down and speak to a boy who was believed to have been in the area at the time of the fire.

A police spokesman said: "He is described as white, aged around 13 or 14 years old, between 5 ft 4 ins and 5 ft 6 ins tall, and of large build.

"He is thought to have brown hair, and thin black-framed glasses. He was said to be wearing black trainers, grey tracksuit bottoms with a white line down the legs, and a grey and black hooded top with a white line down the arms.

"He was seen with a group of around 10 boys, all believed to be aged between 12 and 16, and were all in sportswear and carrying backpacks."

"It's alarming that someone would do something like that to another person who is clearly already vulnerable..."

The victim's father told KentOnline he was taken to the burns unit at East Grinstead on Thursday and was operated on under general anaesthetic on Friday.

"Synthetic skin was temporarily stapled over his wounds," he said.

"Yesterday, he underwent a further operation when some of his own skin was grafted onto the wounds.

"The consultant has advised us that he will examine the grafts on Friday and if they have stuck, he will be discharged on Friday.

"He will require ongoing treatment as an out-patient until his injuries have healed.

"We are naturally concerned as he has no way of getting back to the hospital on a regular basis."

His parents, who live in Cyprus, said last week they were appalled to learn of the attack when he called to tell them what had happened.

"It's truly shocking, and we have urged him to get treatment as soon as possible," said his father.

"It's alarming that someone would do something like that to another person who is clearly already vulnerable.

The victim is known to city homelessness charity Catching Lives.

Its interim manager, Emma McCrudden, said last week rough sleepers often face abuse and attacks on the street.

"I can't talk about this particular incident because I haven't spoken to the person involved about it, but it is not unusual for rough sleepers to have their tents set alight, suffer assaults, have their possessions stolen and even be urinated on," she said.

"Obviously, if someone is injured we would urge them to get treatment, because living on the streets makes their health even more vulnerable."

In June last year, a homeless man suffered burns to his hands after his tent was set alight in Toddlers Cove.

Anyone with information about the latest incident should call police on 01843 222289, quoting 46/159264/22, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.