AN appeal for information has been issued after a man was stabbed during an attempted robbery in Alton on Monday night.

Police have been combing Old Odiham Road and Greenfields Avenue looking for evidence after a 67-year-old man was attacked and left with serious injuries sometime between 10pm and 10.23pm. The victim had just left The Eight Bells pub on Church Street and was walking along the Old Odiham Road toward Greenfields Avenue when he was attacked.

As he passed a block of flats called Robin’s Nest, he noticed a person loitering outside. The victim continued walking up the road to the junction with Greenfields Avenue where he was approached by the offender.

It is not clear whether the male seen loitering near Robin’s Nest and the attacker are the same person, a police spokesman said.

The assailant demanded money before a struggle took place and the victim was stabbed in the abdomen. The attacker ran off empty handed.

The victim was initially taken to Frimley Park Hospital but was later transferred to St George’s Hospital in Tooting for surgery and is in a “stable” condition.

The attacker is described as being in his 20s, tall and thin, and wearing dark clothing, including a hooded anorak.

Police from Alton and Basingstoke were called to the scene, sealing off both roads to carry out a search. The search continued through the night and most of Tuesday, although the roads were re-opened leaving only a small sealed-off area around the Greenfields Avenue junction, opposite the entrance to the cemetery.

The police were reported to have used dogs as they searched drains, hedges and gutters in a bid to find the knife used in the attack.

Police are seeking information, and are particularly keen to identify two men seen by the victim during his walk from the pub.

Detective Inspector Simon Baker said: “Did you witness this incident, did you see a man running away from the scene, or do you think you might know who is responsible? I would urge anyone with information to contact us as soon as possible.”

DI Baker added: “I would also like to trace a man who was seen by the victim near the phone box by the cemetery in Old Odiham Road at the time of the attack.”

Anyone with information should call 101, quoting 44150455897.