A gang of hooded youths beat a cyclist to the ground and steal his bike in a violent attempted mugging in an east London park.

Shocking footage shows the man being surrounded by a group of up to five men wearing hoods and balaclavas in Ion Square Gardens in Bethnal Green.

A witness who filmed the video said the victim attempted to fight them off but he was forced to give up his bike after his attackers punched and kicked him in the face.

In the video, they can be seen fleeing the scene on bikes as a female bystander chases after them and the victim is left lying on the ground.

Police were called to the robbery near Hackney Road at about 7.45pm on Friday evening.

The victim did not require hospital treatment but he was left bruised and badly shaken according to witnesses.

The footage was filmed by a passer-by named Zed, who declined to give his surname, as he walked through the park with his girlfriend.

The digital designer, who is from the area, told the Standard: “My girlfriend and I were walking home coming from Columbia Road towards Bethnal Green and when passing through Ion Square Gardens we saw a gang of youths with covered faces.

“We heard the victim shouting ‘help, help, I’m being robbed!’ Then my girlfriend quickly called police and I decided to film for police evidence.

“The youths were assaulting him because he didn’t want to give up his bike, I believe it was worth about £1,500, until finally he couldn’t hold on anymore and they escaped with it.”

He added that the youths also took the man’s phone but left it smashed up on the ground metres away from the scene of the attack.

Another witness Wendy Harding, who lives nearby, ran to help the victim after hearing his screams.

She told the Standard: “I heard the victim screaming ‘call the police’. The gang came past my house and I got to the victim about 20 seconds later to try to help him.

“He had a very bad bruised swollen eye. The gang were in their late teens with bandana covering the lower half of their faces and hoods pulled up.”

A Met Police spokesman confirmed officers received a report of a robbery in Ion Square Gardens, Bethnal Green, shortly before 8pm on Friday.

A Met spokesman said: "Officers attended and spoke with the victim who had been robbed of his bike by a group of up to six males.

"The victim was assaulted during the course of the robbery. He did not require hospital treatment.

"No arrests have been made. Enquiries are ongoing."

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101.