YOUNG thugs beat up a teenage boy and stole his new mountain bike less than half an hour after his parents wheeled it out as a birthday surprise.

A gang of about 20 youths viciously attacked schoolboy Anthony Gornall as he went for the first ride on his new bike.

They pushed the terrified Thornleigh pupil to the ground and beat him with a brick before making off with the £220 bike he had just received for his 16th birthday.

Anthony needed stitches to two cuts on his head and suffered cuts and bruises in the violent robbery on Bride Street, Halliwell.

Mum Christine presented Anthony with the gift at 7.15 pm during a surprise birthday party at the family home on Athlone Avenue, Astley Bridge.

"He was so excited he wanted to go out straight away, " she said.

"Anthony was riding with his friends when two boys stepped in front of him and knocked him off the bike.

"The others just kept pedalling when they saw the gang coming towards them but they did not realise Anthony had not made it because he was at the back.

"While he was on the ground a gang of about 20 Asian youths started kicking, punching and hitting him with a brick.

He thought they were going to kill him but they ran off with the bike and Anthony crawled to a nearby house."

Less than half hour after seeing her son set off, Christine received a call to say he had been attacked and the bike - bought to replace two others stolen within the last seven weeks - had gone.

Police say there is a problem with gangs in the area but the Asian community are co-operating fully with efforts to identify the youths responsible for the attack.

And the family are offering a reward to anyone who can give information leading to the recovery of the Nebraskan mountain bike at about 7.30pm on Thursday night and the arrest of those responsible.

Anyone with information can ring Bolton police on 522466 or contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

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