A 53-year-old postman was robbed and punched in the face as he carried out his delivery round.

As the postman was walking across a grassy area adjacent to New Road, Chatham, he was approached by two thugs. One of them shouted: "Give me the Giro cheque."

When the postman said he didn't have any, one of the men grabbed him by his lapels and snatched his mailbag. They searched through the bag and took an envelope.

The two then searched the victim for his personal belongings and punched him in the face, leaving him with a swollen top lip.

At this point an army security patrol drove by and the two men ran away towards Otway Terrace.

A spokesman for Medway Police said: "One of the offenders is 5ft 9in tall and was wearing a dark top which had a white stripe across the stomach, dark trousers and dark baseball cap.

The attack happened on Saturday, February 12, at about 4.30am. Anyone who may have seen something or who may have information in connection with the incident is asked to contact Medway Police on 01634 884252 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.