A man was racially abused and punched to the ground on New Years Eve.

At around 5.20pm, the 44-year-old man was crossing King Street, in Watford town centre, at the junction with High Street, when he was approached by two men.

The men had been walking from the direction of King Street.

The pair then launched an attack on the victim. One of the men racially abused the victim while the other man knocked him to the ground. He continued to assault the victim until a member of the public intervened.

The two men ran off down King Street.

They are described as black, in their early twenties, and over 6ft tall. They were dressed in dark clothing and were carrying shopping bags.

Police are appealing for anyone who may have seen the attack.

PC Anthony Hopkins, who is investigating, said: “This was a distressing incident for the victim, who required a hospital assessment - thankfully his injuries were minor.

“Hertfordshire Constabulary takes reports of hate crimes very seriously and I am appealing for anyone who may have witnessed this incident or seen the offenders to get in touch. The incident happened at a busy time of day so there is a good chance that someone may have seen the offenders and can help us to identify them."

Anyone who witnessed the incident or has any other information should contact PC Hopkins on anthony.hopkins@herts.pnn.police.uk or the non-emergency number 101, quoting crime reference C1/18/13.

Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800555111.