A 35-year-old man was left with serious injuries after being brutally assaulted in Hitchin in the early hours of Saturday.

Between 2am and 3am the victim was attacked by a group of people close to ‘the church’ in Hitchin town centre, although which church is yet to be established.

He was later found by a woman who took him to her home in Stevenage before calling an ambulance. The victim was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Detective Constable Gary Larkman, who is investigating, said: “The victim remains in hospital in a stable condition.

“At this stage we do not have a more specific location of where the assault occurred however, we are carrying out significant enquiries to establish exactly what happened to this man in the early hours of Saturday morning.

“I’m appealing for anyone with information that could assist our investigation to get in touch with me via the non-emergency number 101, quoting crime reference G1/17/3717 or report information online at www.herts.police.uk/report.

“If you would prefer to provide information anonymously please contact the independent crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”