A man in his 70s has been robbed at his home in East Bergholt by three masked men armed with wooden batons who threatened him while he slept in his bedroom.

It took place at around 11.45pm last night, Saturday April 28, at an address in Chaplin Road.

The victim was asleep in bed when he was woken up by the three masked men who were armed with the wooden batons. They demanded to know where his money was and one of the men then went and searched the property.

The other two men stayed in the bedroom with the victim and used a broom handle to push him back on to the bed if he tried to get up. The third man then returned to the room and after asking again where his money was, he threw a laundry basket at the victim which struck him in the face causing his nose to bleed.

All three men left after finding a quantity of cash and the incident lasted for around 10 to 15 minutes. The offenders gained entry to the property by forcing the back door.

The victim then called the police and officers were at the scene shortly after. The local area was searched with the assistance of dog units, but the offenders were not located.

The victim was left very shaken by this incident and sustained a minor injury to his nose but was otherwise unharmed.

Detectives are appealing for anyone who witnessed any suspicious persons or vehicles in the area of the incident yesterday evening to make contact. In particular they would like to hear from anyone who was in the vicinity of Chaplin Road between 11.30pm and 12.15am.

Calls should be made to South CID at Landmark House on 101 quoting reference 23045/18, or alternatively contact the charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.