A DISTRAUGHT mother has issued a warning after her seven-year-old son was attacked by two older boys in a play area.

The little boy was playing at Whitecliff Park in Poole when two boys aged around 10 to 12 punched and kicked him, placing their hands around his neck.

The victim was also dragged along the ground after trying to hide from his attackers underneath a piece of play equipment.

Now his mum has warned others to be on their guard.

The woman, who does not wish to be named, said she and her son were enjoying an afternoon at the park when the incident took place at around 4.45pm on Sunday May 12.

She told the Daily Echo: "We had taken some toys with us and my son was playing with the two bigger boys for a while when he came over and asked if he could go out of the park with them to see their den.

"I said no so they stayed in the park area and I could see them in the distance from where I was sitting."

She said their exact movements were concealed by the play equipment but that she could still see her son.

"The older boys left and then my son called out to me," said the woman.

"When I went over to the play area I could see he had marks on his neck and he said he had been punched and kicked. He was really upset.

"I feel like I must warn other people because I keep thinking about what could have happened if I had let him go to see the den."

She said the boys were both white and slim, one with blond to mousy coloured hair and wearing a white t-shirt and the other with auburn-coloured hair, wearing a blue or green t-shirt.

A spokesman for Dorset Police said: "We were called at 7.01pm on Sunday May 12 to reports of an assault on a boy in the play park at Whitecliff Road in Poole.

"It was reported the assault had occurred at around 4.45pm that day. Officers are due to speak with the boy and informant to ascertain the circumstances of the incident."