A MAN was in a critical condition in hospital last night following a violent attack in a park-and-ride site which left him with serious head injuries.

Russell Claydon

A MAN was in a critical condition in hospital last night following a violent attack in a park-and-ride site which left him with serious head injuries.

His girlfriend has also been treated for serious injuries following the assault in Newmarket which happened in the early hours of yesterday morning following an “altercation” with a group of men.

The man's girlfriend, who is in her 30s, called police shortly after 1am to report that she and her boyfriend, who is in his 40s, had been assaulted in the car park on Fordham Road, Newmarket.

The couple, who have not been named but are both local to the area, suffered serious injuries. The man was taken to Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge, where he is described as being in a critical but stable condition. The female was taken to the West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds but was released yesterday. The extent and nature of her injuries are unclear.

Scenes of crime officers cordoned off the park-and-shuttle car park site, opposite Tesco supermarket, all day yesterday while they carried out a fingertip search of the area. A blue Mercedes car was seized and taken away for further examination.

Officers were also speaking to nearby businesses to gather any information which may help their investigations and witnesses who have already come forward were being interviewed.

A bus service was still operating from the site but shoppers were unable to park their cars to use it.

Police arrested four people in connection with the incident; a 25-year-old man from Newmarket, a 21-year-old man from Newmarket and two 20-year-old woman from Cambridgeshire.

They have now been released on police bail pending further enquiries and are due to return to Bury Police Station on September 14.

Detectives began interviewing them yesterday at Bury St Edmunds Police Station and held them in custody overnight.

A spokeswoman for Suffolk police urged anyone who may have seen anything suspicious, or been in the area at the time, to contact Mildenhall CID on 01284774100.