A DOG-WALKER was stabbed for refusing to light a stranger's cigarette.

Redbridge Police are appealing for information about the attack on the 57-year-old man, as he walked his dog in Stanley Road, Ilford, at around 9pm on December 31.

The pair approached the man and asked for a light, but when he refused he was stabbed in the leg.

He was taken to hospital where he was given a small number of stitches.

The attackers are described as black, aged 16 to 18, and wore dark clothing.

Anyone with information should contact DC Jamie Da'Bell at Redbridge Police on 020 8345 2727, or alternatively call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.