A 58-YEAR-OLD man was taken to hospital after he was assaulted and robbed in the early hours by a man who had befriended him.

Officers were called at around 12.30am to the junction of Kendal Drive with Warrington Road in Rainhill following reports of a street robbery.

The victim was pushed to the floor, assaulted then threatened before the thug fled along Warrington Road towards Rainhill.

The 58-year-old man suffered a minor injury to his hand and was taken to hospital as a precaution.

The offender is described as white, about 5ft 8in tall, in his mid 20s and with a medium build. He was wearing a green hoody and dark jeans.

Detective Constable Roy Waller said: "This was quite a shocking incident in which the victim has been befriended by another man, walked along the street chatting with him, and was then assaulted and robbed by him.

"I would like to reassure the community that we take incidents of this nature very seriously and we are determined to find the person responsible.

"Even at this time of the night someone might have been driving past. I would appeal to anyone who saw someone fitting the description above in the area at the time or has anyone information about the incident to call police."

Contact police on 0151 777 6812 or Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111.