YOBS who pelted a commuter with chips before attacking him are at the centre of a police investigation today.

The 32-year-old was filmed on a mobile phone as he was put in a headlock and punched in the head.

He boarded the train from London Paddington on Thursday, December 22, last year.

Two men got on the train at Reading station when one began throwing chips in the early morning.

He asked them to stop before one of them squared up to him, asking for a fight.

The thug then collared his victim in a head-lock, punching him several times before pushing him to the floor.

Investigating officer PC Katherine Billingham, said: “This was a totally unprovoked and nasty assault and I am hoping to the person responsible can be identified and brought before the courts.

“As you can imagine, being placed in a headlock and punched multiple times is a frightening experience. Thankfully he did not receive any long lasting injuries.

“From viewing the CCTV images, I can see that a member of the public may have filmed this incident on their phone. If you were this person, please do get in touch as your footage could be hugely important.”

The attack took place between 12.50am and 1am on the service to Didcot.

A British Transport Police spokesman said: "One of the men asked him for a fight.

"A short while later, the man stood up, put the victim in a headlock and punched him several times in the head.

"He is also pushed which makes him fall backwards into the vestibule.

"Today, officers are releasing a CCTV image of a man they’d like to speak with in connection. Do you know who he is?"

Anyone with information can contact the police by sending a text to 31016 or calling 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference 331 of 12/01/2017.