At around 4.30 pm, it was reported to officers patrolling the Britwell estate that two males on a red moped and two other on a red bicycle followed a boy on a bicycle on the Cinder Track, just south of the bike fences near to Farnham Court Cottages.

The group of three or four dragged the lone cyclist off his bike, threatened him with a weapon, possibly a knife, and put him on the moped before fleeing the scene.

The moped driver is described as wearing all black, a jacket with the hood up, white writing on the side of the left leg, just above the knee.

Their passenger is described as wearing all black, with a thin white stripe down the shoulder of their coat and broad stripes down the sides of their legs.

The offender riding the bicycle is described as white and wearing a grey tracksuit and white trainers.

Their passenger is described as a young black male wearing a green jacket, black trousers with a thin stripe down the lower leg, and red trainers.

The victim is described as being a white boy, around 16 years of age, wearing a grey top and dark bottoms.

Investigating officer Detective Inspector Ryan Powell, based at Slough police station, said: “I understand this incident may cause some concern but we believe it was a targeted incident with no threat to the wider public.

“There is an increased police presence in the area with extra patrols so please speak to a uniformed officer if you have any worries.

“We urgently want to hear from the victim to ensure their safety and that they are not injured.

“It is possible the victim has returned as we currently have no reported missing boys who match his description, but we are keeping an open mind.

“I am also appealing to anybody who witnessed this incident to please get in touch with us.

“Additionally, if you have any CCTV footage of the area or any dash-cam footage if you were in the area around the time of the incident, I’d also ask that you check any recordings in case it has captured something that could assist our investigation.

“To contact us, call 101 or make a report on our website, quoting reference number 43240341832.

“Alternatively, you can provide information anonymously to the independent charity, Crimestoppers, by calling 0800 555 111 or via its website.”