A landlord was knocked unconscious and his barman beaten in separate raids at the same Horsham pub within 24 hours.

In the first robbery, a man ordered a drink at the Horse and Groom in East Street before punching the barman, snatching cash from the till and running off.

The barman, who was slightly injured, was alone with his attacker in the pub at the time, just before 7pm on Monday.

The offender was in his 30s, of medium build with dark, collar-length hair and wore jeans and a black jacket with an orange lining.

Just after 9.30am yesterday, an intruder broke in through the back of the pub.

The landlord thought he heard a noise and when he reached the top of the cellar steps to investigate he was struck twice over the head.

He blacked out and when he came round the attacker, who stole cash, had gone. He needed treatment for his injuries.

A witness described a man seen at the back of the pub in Deene Road at the time as 5ft 8in to 5ft 10in tall, stocky with mousy hair in a ponytail. He wore a dark jacket and was "well presented".

Detective Constable Heidi Duffin said: "We'd like this man to come forward so we can find out why he was there. There might be an innocent explanation and we can eliminate him from our inquiries."

She said the two descriptions were very different and she is appealing for witnesses on 0845 6070999.