A teenager has been left with a fractured shoulder, cheekbone and nose after he and two friends were attacked in a Stevenage underpass – and police have today appealed for witnesses.

The incident happened at about 8pm on Sunday, May 28, when three 18-year-olds – two men and a woman – tried to walk through the underpass linking Broadhall Way with Valley Way and Broadwater Crescent.

They were then stopped by a group of youths, three of whom attacked the two men. One was punched in the face, sustaining bruising, while the other has been left with a fractured shoulder, cheekbone and nose.

A relative told the Comet: “He could easily have been killed.

“This was an unprovoked attack by a gang of kids who didn’t like them passing through ‘their’ underpass. There were about 15 of them in all.”

A member of the public intervened and the attackers fled towards Broadwater Crescent. Paramedics were called to treat one of the victims for arm and head injuries, but were stood down by officers who took him to hospital themselves.

The three attackers are described as aged between their mid-to-late teens and their early 20s.

The first is described as a black, chubby youth about 5ft 9in tall, with afro-style hair on the top and shorter at the sides, and with facial hair on his chin. He wore a black top with a blue pattern on the front.

The second is described as a mixed-race, skinny youth, about 5ft 10in tall, wearing a black hoody.

The third is described as a white youth with light brown or blond short hair, with facial hair on his chin. He is about 5ft 10in tall, wore a hoody and carried a bottle.

Police have today appealed for witnesses and information about the attack. Anyone who can assist should call the Stevenage local crime unit on the non-emergency number 101, quoting crime reference E1/17/4354.

Alternatively contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or through their anonymous online form at crimestoppers-uk.org.