A road in Stevenage was cordoned off yesterday afternoon after the occupants of two cars got into a fight.

At around 4.40pm a black Vauxhall Astra containing five people was in York Road when a blue Volkswagen Polo pulled up behind it.

Five men got out of the Polo and there was a scuffle between the occupants of the vehicles.

One of the Astra’s passengers ended up with cuts to his leg and head which required hospital treatment.

The offenders left the area in the Polo, but also stole the Astra and drove it away.

The Astra has since been found in Ascot Crescent and recovered by officers.

There were five offenders involved. They were all male and originally travelling in the Polo.

One is described as white, in his 20s, of a heavy build and around 5ft 10in tall. He had a local accent and was wearing a baseball cap.

Another is described as being of mixed race, of skinny build and with black Afro-style hair.

The three other offenders were black. One is described as being of a “big build” with a shaved head. Another is described as being around 5ft 5in tall, of average build and around 16 years old.

Det Sgt Phoebe Biggs, who is investigating, said: “We believe this was a targeted incident and are currently pursuing a number of lines of investigation.

“This happened near rush hour so there may have been a number of people in the area. We would like to speak with anyone who saw what happened.

“Equally, we’d like to hear from anyone who witnessed the offenders abandoning the car in Ascot Crescent.

“Any information, no matter how trivial you believe it to be, could prove very useful to our investigation so please do contact us.”

Anyone who has information should contact the Stevenage local crime unit on the non-emergency number 101, quoting crime reference E1/17/8834, or online at contacthertspolice.uk/Report/Crime.Alternatively, you can contact the independent crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.