An elderly man was attacked with his own walking stick by two intruders who broke into his house in the middle of the night.

The man, in his 70s, was sleeping in his house in Orchard Close, Radlett, when he was woken up by a noise at 1.30am.

He went to investigate and was faced with two intruders, who snatched his walking stick from his hand and begun hitting him with it.

He was left with minor injuries.

The men left empty handed and are described as tall, wearing dark clothing with hoods and face coverings.

Police are now investigating the incident as an attempted burglary.

Detective Constable Ben Heath, who is investigating, said: “Thankfully the victim was not seriously hurt. He suffered some cuts to his hands however, this incident would have badly shaken him.

“We’re working hard to identify those responsible for this and I’m appealing for anyone who may have seen a group of men matching the description loitering in the area or running away from the scene around the time stated to get in touch.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact DC Ben Heath via the Hertfordshire Constabulary non-emergency number 101, quoting crime reference 54 of 24/12/17, or report information online here.

Alternatively, contact the independent crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800555111.