Boys arrested after man robbed and pushed into Stoke-on-Trent canal

Four boys have been arrested after a 66-year-old man was robbed and pushed into a canal.

The man was threatened with a knife before he was pushed into the Trent and Mersey Canal in Stoke-on-Trent on Saturday afternoon.

The victim, who could not swim, suffered minor injuries during the incident in Middleport, police said.

The boys, aged 12 and 15, and two aged 14, were arrested on suspicion of robbery on Monday.

The victim was forced to hand over cash in Sunny Bank near Middleport Pottery, before he was pushed in the chest, police said.

He was unable to swim, but it is thought a passerby helped him out of the water and raised the alarm.

The boys are in police custody, Staffordshire Police said.