A nurse was brutally mugged by a gang of four men as he made his way home from a hospital shift.

The 31-year-old man from Basildon had come off a train from London and was walking down Ashdon Way at about 10.40pm when he saw three men walking towards him on his side of the road.

As he crossed over to the other side of the road to get away from them, he inadvertently walked into the path of a fourth hooded man, believed to be part of the same group.

The man, who had part of his face hidden, then punched the nurse in the face and tried to pull his bag off his back.

During the attack, the robber also tried to pull the victim’s watch off his wrist, but was not successful and searched his pockets.

The three men just stood by and watched.

The attacker ran off with the man’s backpack, which contained a wallet with £80 in cash inside.

The nurse suffered a cut to his bottom lip, as well as swelling and various scratches and marks to his face and body.

When police searched the nearby area after the attack, they discovered remnants of the man’s rucksack dumped in the underpass connecting Ashdon Way and Basildon train station.

It had been deliberately set alight and was completely destroyed.

An Essex Police spokesman said: “This attack must have been distressing for the victim who was walking home from work at a hospital in London.

“We would be keen to speak to anyone who may have seen anyone running away from Ashdon Road at about 10.40pm on Thursday.”

The nurse’s attacker is white, 5ft 6ins tall and was wearing a grey jacket with a hood covering part of his face.

The police had no description of the three other men.

Anyone with information can call Essex Police on 101.