POLICE want to trace three men targeted by a teenage gang behind attacks in Rayleigh.

The Echo revealed yesterday how a 39-year-old man was left with severe facial injuries after being asaulted by about 12 teenagers at The Approach between midnight and 1am on Saturday. He had been flagged down by the youths while enroute to pick up a family member from the nearby station.

He was taken to Southend Hospital and transferred to Broomfield Hospital, in Chelmsford, where he underwent specialist surgery. He is now recovering at home in Rayleigh.

Police believe the youths were also responsible for assaulting another man and smashing the windows of a taxi belonging to Rayleigh Taxis.

Now they are appealing for another three men to come forward.

Det Con Jon Holden said: “We are looking to identify the men, whowere threatened by this group while returning from the nearby Travellers Joy pub. They were walking in The Approach, towards Landsdowne Drive, shortly before 1am. They appear to have fobbed off the abuse these boys were giving them. However, they could help us identify the teenagers. We only know the men are white and older than 40.”

He added officers would continue to patrol the area this week and were determined to arrest the youths and get to the bottom of why they were intimidating motorists near the station.

Rayleigh resident Sarah Halloran, who set up a Neighbourhood Watch page on Facebook last month after a perceived crime rise in the town, said many were shocked by the violence.

She said: “A page user posted something about it and I didn’t realise how close to home it was until I looked on a map. In a lot of places, this sort of thing is maybe not all that unusual, but because Rayleigh is generally quiet, people were quite shocked.”

Anyone with information about the assaults, or who knows the teens, can call detectives at Southend police station on 101.