A teenager was chased and punched unconscious by a gang of men who pounced on him in Wellington as he made his way home in the early hours, police said today.

The victim was thought to have been involved in a row with his five attackers earlier in the evening and had escaped their clutches only to be collared again and set upon.

The teenager, whose mobile phone was snatched during the attack, was left nursing two black eyes and a cut to his right cheek which required two stitches at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford.

Telford police spokesman Chris Ammonds said that the incident happened at about 3.20am on Sunday, close to the new Wellington bus station in Victoria Avenue.

He said: “The victim had been out in the town during the evening and it appears the robbery happened as a result of an altercation he had with these five individuals earlier on.

“He was making his way home when he encountered them. It seems that they might have chased him but he managed to escape, only to come across them again later. Without warning, the victim was punched a number of times before falling to the floor.

“At some point during this incident the victim believes he was knocked out and when he came round he discovered that he no longer had his Nokia Express Music mobile phone.”

Mr Ammonds said the 19-year-old had been unable to give detailed descriptions of his attackers but believes they were all of a similar age to himself.

Anyone who may have information about this incident is urged to call police in Telford on 0300 333 3000.