POLICE are appealing for information on two men after a 81-year-old shop worker was hospitalised in a robbery.

Gwent Police state that two men pretended to be customers - showing interest in a particular item - before leaving and returning to the Commercial Street store as the male victim was locking up.

A police spokeswoman added that the victim was distracted, "violently assaulted" and left to his with a cut to the eye following the incident on Saturday, September 9.

The offenders went on to cause damage to a display case and made off with approximately £7,000 worth of jewellery.

The victim received checks at the Royal Gwent hospital and was left "shaken" by the incident, police also confirm.

Both men were wearing identical navy blue / dark coloured caps with an Adidas emblem on the front.

One was described as white, in his late teens or early twenties and had a black square shaped rucksack on his back which appeared to be made of canvas.

He was also wearing a blue sports jacket with a full length zip with blue or grey jogging bottoms, white socks and black trainers.

The second man appeared to be mixed race, around the same age and wearing a similar blue sports jacket.

Police state he was wearing a pair of distressed, ripped blue jeans with what looks like a large white number ‘4’ on the right knee and black and white trainers.

Anyone with information should call 101 quoting log number 231 09/09/17 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.’