A COMMUNITY has been left reeling after a pub landlady was assaulted by three men who then hit a policeman as they drove off.Barbara Giggins,landlady of The Fox in Burwell, was left with a black eye and bruising to her face and legs after the terrifying attack in her pub.

A COMMUNITY has been left reeling after a pub landlady was assaulted by three men who then hit a policeman as they drove off.

Barbara Giggins,landlady of The Fox in Burwell, was left with a black eye and bruising to her face and legs after the terrifying attack in her pub.

As the men attempted to drive off in a blue Transit van, they struck a police officer who had been called to the scene.

Mrs Giggins' husband Andy said: "I think it is fair to say Barbara is not in a very good condition – she has a black eye and cuts to her face and also her legs where she was knocked over.

"She is suffering from shock and she will not be working for the time being. The Fox is normally a nice, quiet village pub – it is the hub of the village.

"Our regular customers are shocked to hear such a thing has happened in the village.

"This was just an isolated incident and hopefully nothing like this will ever reoccur again. We are just trying to forget about it."

Mrs Giggins, who is in her 50s, was taken to Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, and is now recovering at home.

Police were called to the pub just before 10pm on Monday after they received reports that three men were causing a disturbance at the premises.

Mr Giggins said the damage inside the pub was quite minimal and it would remain open as normal.

As the group drove off, an unnamed officer was struck by their vehicle and suffered slight injuries to his knee.

The officer was unavailable for comment yesterday but a spokesman for Cambridgeshire Police said: "The officer concerned was left with minor injuries and he did not have to seek any medical attention.

"Officers have to deal with incidents where their safety is on the line and they have to use professionalism to ensure they avoid injury wherever possible. The force takes instances where officers are injured extremely seriously."

Mick Scarff , deputy chairman of Burwell Parish Council, said: "You certainly wouldn't expect something like this to happen in a village like Burwell.

"I think it is an unfortunate sign of the times but an absolutely disgusting thing to happen in a village. We, as a parish council, try and be pro-active with the police but obviously these incidents are not particular easy things to deal with."

nA 19-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assault and is currently in custody at Parkside Police Station in Cambridge. A 25-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assault but released without charge.