Police are hunting moped thieves who allegedly attacked a man with a hammer in Shepperton and stole his motorbike earlier this month.

The violent robbery took place on Thursday (July 4) at the victim's home address on Linden Way in Shepperton.

In a statement describing the event, police said that the man had been attacked with the hammer after he tried to stop the moped thieves from making off with his bike.

"The victim was at his home address in Linden Way when he heard the sound of a motorbike starting shortly after 4pm on Thursday 4 July.

"He went outside and was confronted by two people wearing crash helmets attempting to steal his motorbike, a Suzuki GSXR.

"He attempted to hold onto his bike but was hit on the arm with a hammer by one of the suspects. He suffered minor injuries and hospital treatment was not required.

"The suspects made off towards Sunbury-on-Thames on two mopeds and the stolen motorbike, and were spotted by Officers on Windmill Road," a spokesperson for Surrey Police said.

Surrey Police said they attempted pursuit of the gang after attending the incident, but were unable to chase them down as the robbers sped towards Feltham and away from their pursuers.

The county police force also offered descriptions of the suspects (pictured):

"The four suspects, all believed to be white men, were wearing full face crash helmets and dark, long-sleeved clothing.

"The rider of the stolen Suzuki was wearing a black top with a white Puma logo on the front of the shirt, black trousers and black shoes with a white stripe on the bottom.

"The rider of the black moped was wearing a black balaclava, while the passenger was wearing a grey tracksuit and white trainers.

"The rider of the scooter was wearing a black coat."

One of the Surrey Police officers — PC Schulz — investigating, described what happened as "extremely distressing" and urged the public to take precautions safeguarding their vehicles when left outside.

"This was an extremely distressing ordeal for the victim, who was fortunate not to suffer a more serious injury...

"While I appreciate the images of the suspects are not that clear, if you have any idea who these people may be, I would urge you to get in touch.

"I would ask the Public to remain vigilant regarding their property, consider locking your bike’s rear wheel and putting a cover over it to deter thieves," PC Schulz said.

If you can help, please contact us on 101, quoting incident reference PR/45190069821.

You can also give information, 100 per cent anonymously, to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111; or through their anonymous online form: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/