Police are appealing for witnesses after intruders broke into the home of an elderly man in Bury St Edmunds and robbed him.

The incident occurred at just after 12am this morning, Wednesday 7 December, at an address in Northumberland Avenue.

Three masked people forced their way into the property and the victim – a man aged in his 80s – was struck with a baton, but fortunately he was not seriously harmed as a result of this. The suspects then stole his wallet before leaving the property.

Detective Inspector Claire Baldwin, of West CID, said: “This was an extremely distressing incident for the victim and he is being supported by specialist officers, as we work to identify who was responsible for this cowardly attack.

“Crimes such as this are incredibly rare in Suffolk and at this time we have no reason to believe this is part of any wider series. I would appeal to anyone who believes they can help our enquiries to contact us without delay.”

Officers would like to hear from anyone who was in the vicinity of Northumberland Avenue at around midnight and who saw any suspicious persons or activity.

They are also appealing for anyone in the area with a doorbell camera to check for any activations at around this time. Any motorists driving along the road with a dashcam fitted in their vehicle are asked to review the footage for anything that may be of assistance.

Anyone with information is asked to contact West CID at Bury St Edmunds Police Station, quoting reference: 77327/22.