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A Polish man was left in hospital after he was attacked by an Orchard Park gang of 20 armed with a plank of wood with nails embedded in it.

The victim and three of his friends, also from eastern Europe, were walking to a bus stop near Hall Road at about 7.30pm on Sunday evening when they were confronted by the gang of 20 men.

The gang chased the four back down Thorpepark Road, before one of the men was caught and beaten.

(Image: Google)

One of the eastern European men in the group, who did not want to be named for his own safety, said: “The group were standing on the street, and when they heard us speaking in Polish they began to shout at us and throw a few bottles.

“They then started to chase after us, so we did the only thing we could and ran. We got to about three doors down from where one of us lived, and then they caught one of us.

“They were hitting him with a plank of wood with nails in it. He was on the floor for 25 minutes before the ambulance came, and he was in hospital overnight. He is recovering at home now.”

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The man said it was not the first time the group of friends had been subjected to what he described as racial abuse.

He said his car had in the past been vandalised, and that he had been trying to move out of Orchard Park for more than six months.

The Polish man said he was “scared to leave his home,” as he knew the gangs could be hanging around on street corners.

“This sort of thing happens nearly every day to Polish people here,” he said.

“I have been living here for five or six years, and to start with I didn’t have any problems. Then the gangs started to realise I was Polish, and I have had problems ever since.

“Everyone is worried about it now. It is definitely getting worse.”

A Humberside Police spokesman said: "We are investigating the assault of a 20-year-old man on Laxthorpe in Hull on Sunday 15 April shortly before 7.30pm.



"A group of around 20 men followed the victim to a house on Laxthorpe making threats and shouting at him. The victim reported that he was then struck by a nailed plank of wood and kicked repeatedly in the attack.



"We are treating this as a racially aggravated assault and would appeal for anyone with information that will help us identify those involved to call us on 101 quoting log 520 15/04/18."

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