A 56-year-old man’s night out with wife and friends ended at Watford General Hospital with a broken nose after he was attacked by a gang of young men on the dance floor.

The man and his 52-year-old wife were on the dance floor of Chicago Rock Cafe in The Parade, Watford when he and his two male friends were set upon.

The unprovoked attack in the early hours of Sunday, October 18, left two of the men, who do not want to be identified for fear of reprisals, with broken noses, cuts and bruises.

The 56-year-old, from Kings Langley, said: “We were dancing and having a really good time. These guys came in. They were all suited and looked very smart.

“They all had heavy rings on and were just walking around barging into people, looking to try and start something.

“My friend, who is 51, said something like ‘it’s polite to apologise when you barge into anyone’ the guy said something back, but it wasn’t English and hit him on the head.

“He had blood pouring from his head. I instantly saw it and went over there and was grabbed from behind and another man swung me around and hit me.

“My friend’s future son-in-law, who is 23 and the only one of us likely to offer some serious resistance, was set upon by three people, two holding his arms while another punched him.”

The gang of Asian men the quickly left the nightclub without being apprehended by staff.

The victim said he has been told it is unlikely the incident was caught on CCTV, but that police are aware of the gang, although investigators have yet to contact him for a statement.

He said: “The police rang the next day and said they would take a statement, but then rang to say they were too busy and I have not heard anything since.

“Apparently the officer does not come back on shift until the 29th. I got a call from the police’s victim support unit and felt like saying instead of spending money on that why not try and catch them?”

He added: “The gang were very organised and almost military like in what they were doing.

“The police said to my wife they know about this gang and they have attacked homeless people before and women. Obviously a brave bunch of lads.”

In a statement, Chicago’s CEO, David Crabtree, said: "It was all dealt with in house. We are committed to running a safe venue."

Hertfordshire constabulary are looking into the incident.