A transgender teenager was cut across the face in an attack police in Witham have branded “hateful”.

The victim was approached by a group of teenage boys on a footpath near Ness Walk in the town at around 3.50pm yesterday.

They verbally abused and slashed the victim in the face.

The victim managed to escape and was later taken to hospital.

Police searched the area but found no trace of the teenagers or the weapon.

“We will not tolerate hateful incidents like this in Essex and I would like to commend the victim for reporting this traumatic incident,” said Superintendent Tom Simons.

“My officers are working diligently to try and identify those responsible for this attack.

“We are looking to speak to three teenage boys, aged between 14 and 15, who were in Spa Road Recreation Ground with a push bike from around 3.50pm to 4.15pm.

“One was white and had black hair. He was around 5ft 6ins tall and had a significant amount of acne on his face.

Supt Simons added: “He wore a black hooded top with a white or yellow top underneath it.

“We believe they left the Recreation Ground and walked up Spa Road, in the direction of the Co-op shortly after 4.15pm.

“If you have been a victim of hate crime, I would encourage you to report it to us. You can call us on 101 or 999 in an emergency, or visit one of our Hate Incident Reporting Centres across the county.”

Witnesses to the attack and anyone with information is asked to call Braintree police station on 101 quoting crime reference number 42/50122/19.

Or, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.