A councillor has spoken of her shock after a man was struck on the head with a crowbar and a brick during a robbery in a west Suffolk village.

The victim, aged in his 30s, suffered a broken wrist in the incident in Hepworth, near Walsham-le-Willows, yesterday.

Detectives are appealing for witnesses following the robbery, which happened shortly before 6pm at a property in the vicinity of Clay Lane and Summer Road.

The victim was approached by two masked men while he was outside his home in the quiet Suffolk village.

They grabbed him, threatened him, and forced him inside, before conducting a search and stealing keys, an amount of cash and a mobile phone.

The phone was later found discarded nearby.

After the search, the victim was hit on the head with a crowbar and a brick, before the men fled the scene in a small silver car and joined the A143 Bury Road from Clay Lane.

The victim was taken to hospital after the incident where it was discovered he had sustained a broken wrist.

Carol Bull, St Edmundsbury borough councillor for Barningham, which includes Hepworth, said: “I am shocked to hear of it, because the sort of crime we tend to get in the country is burglaries and that type of thing.

“I haven’t heard of anything like this.

“It is a small, tight-knit community here and I am sure they’ll be shattered by it.”

One of the robbers was described as wearing a black hoodie and black trainers with white soles, while the other wore light grey jogging bottoms and black trainers with white soles.

Detectives would like to hear from anyone who may have any dash camera footage captured yesterday, between the times of 5pm and 6.30pm on the A143 Bury Road, or saw a small silver car join the A143 from Clay Lane shortly after 6pm.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact West CID at Bury St Edmunds police station on 101, quoting reference 37/2908/19.

Alternatively, people can contact Crimestoppers, 100% anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Information can also be reported online via the independent crime-fighting charity’s website at www.crimestoppers-uk.org