A robber left his wallet behind after attacking two people on a petrol station foreCourt.

The men were punched and threatened when they made a late-night stop to buy cigarettes.

Police said the violence was unprovoked and left the victims shaken and fearful.

The attack happened at the Texaco garage in Kingsway, Hove, at about 1am on Saturday.

Two Asian men pulled up to use the shop through the security hatch.

When they arrived a man, who had bought petrol at the garage, walked over to their car, leaned in and grabbed the 30-year-old driver by the throat.

He punched him in the face and demanded his wallet.

The driver was dragged out of the car and punched again by the robber, who repeated his demand.

He held a key to his throat, leaving a centimetre-long mark.

When the driver shouted to his 25-year-old friend to call the police, the attacker punched the friend before returning to the driver.

Eventually a man who was with the suspect dragged him off and they drove away.

Nothing was taken in the attack, despite the robber’s demands.

Both men suffered facial injuries but were not believed to be seriously hurt.

Staff at the garage called police, who found a wallet at the scene and later arrested a man in the Knoll area of Hove.

Detective Constable Sapna Patel of Brighton and Hove CID said: “This was a totally unprovoked attack.

“The victims were extremely shaken up, having been out on a quiet night to buy some cigarettes.

“They were quite violently assaulted for no apparent reason and it has given them a real sense of fear.”

According to the latest available figures from Sussex Police, the average number of robberies in the Central Hove ward rose slightly between June and August, compared with the same period in 2008 - but only to about one a month.

Citywide the number of robberies fell by 35% to about 27 a month between the same two periods.

Police believe the numbers reflect bullying incidents among youths and the fact more people carry expensive items like mobile phones and iPods.

John Clugston, 25, from Hove, was charged with attempted robbery, assault by beating, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance.

He is due to appear at Brighton Magistrates’ Court this morning.