Detectives are appealing for witnesses to a daytime assault in Colchester after a group of men entered a flat and punched a husband and wife in the face.

The attack happened when the group, which consisted of four or five men, forced their way into a flat off Buckingham Drive shortly before 3pm yesterday and assaulted both the male and female occupants of the property. They then ran off. Nothing was stolen.

Investigating officer Detective Sergeant Kevin Cooper said: “On the face of it, this appears to have been a random attack and neither we nor the victims can think of any reason for the couple to have been targets. “We carried out house-to-house enquiries and these have also drawn a blank on any potential motive for this crime which has left the couple shocked and very shaken. “As this happened in the middle of the afternoon on a residential estate off Hawthorn Avenue, we’re confident that someone would have seen these men either entering the property or running off.”

A search of the area was carried out for the assailants, who are only known to have been described as white. The police helicopter assisted with a flyover, but to no avail.

The couple, who are aged in their 30s and 40s, were taken to the nearby hospital by paramedics and received treatment for their facial injuries before being discharged.

Anyone with information in connection with this house assault is urged to contact detectives at Colchester police station on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.