A group of teens who mugged a Croydon man gave back his phone because it was too cheap to bother stealing.

Migui Rowlands was ambushed by the group of youths who ransacked his pockets in Alton Road on April 9, but when they pulled out his £9.99 Sagem phone the kids were less than impressed.

Mr Rowlands said: “They took my wallet and stole about £30. But when they looked at my phone they gave it back.

“They told me: ‘we can’t do anything with that’. It is just one of these cheap jobs.

“In some ways I was pleased because it had all my numbers on it.”

The 44-year-old said it made him grateful he was not carrying around an expensive phone.

He said: “It happened at about 7.15pm while I was on my way home.

“I crossed over the footbridge near Waddon station and then was surrounded by the youths.

“Two cut me off on their bikes and then they started going through my pockets.

“It is scary that it happened at the end of my road.

“It does not matter where you are or what time it is – if they get you, they get you.

“It is bad enough happening anywhere but when it is so close to home it is worrying.

“Kids hang around a lot there.”

The thieves were left doubly disappointed when they went through Mr Rowlands’ bag hoping to find some electrical equipment, only to discover two books.

Mr Rowlands said he is now even more determined not to carry valuables with him.

The Sagem MY220X is one of the cheapest phones on the market at just £9.99.

Among its selling points are a speaker phone, predictive texts, a slim design and an LCD screen.

The latest 3G Apple iPhone costs nearly £350 and boasts a 3.5-inch widescreen multi-touch display, a 2 megapixels camera, GPS mapping, wifi internet connection and iTunes music player.