YOBS dragged a man from his van then made off in the vehicle.

The victim suffered cuts and bruises when the two men dragged him from his black Fiat Ulysses, on Leigh Road, Boothstown, at around 11.50am on Wednesday.

The attackers then drove off in the van towards the Novotel in Worsley leaving the victim shaken.

Det Sgt Del Scholfield said: “This was a violent attack on an innocent member of the public who was going about his normal business.

“This type of crime and behaviour will not be tolerated. We want to reassure people that we are investigating this crime and doing everything we can to catch the offenders as soon as possible.

“Leigh Road is a busy main road and given the time of day there were numerous vehicles travelling along it. Police would like to speak to anyone who witnessed the incident and, in particular, the driver of a blue vehicle who stopped to help.

“We’re urging anyone who may have seen two men driving away in the car to contact police immediately.”

Anyone with information should phone police on 0161 856 5345 or Crimestoppers, on 0800 555111.