A gang of youths attacked a man with a sledgehammer in West Wickham, last night (September 4), witnesses say.

The 23-year-old man lay on the floor screaming in pain after a fight broke out in Coney Hill Road at around 9pm, according to residents.

Police confirmed they had arrested three male youths, aged between 15 and 18, nearby on suspicion of GBH. The youths remain in police custody at a south London police station.

One resident, who didn’t want to be named, told News Shopper: “There was a man lying on the ground and he was screaming in pain. So I called the police and my husband went to cover him over with a blanket.”

She said another man had already stopped to help and was speaking on the phone while standing next to the victim.

The resident said she believed the 23-year-old was chased and beaten after a fight broke out between two gangs of youths from the area in a nearby park.

She said: “He was badly beaten by the sledgehammer. He was really screaming. I think he had been hit in the stomach and back.”

Tommy Kavanagh, 24, of Coney Hill Road, said: “It was about 10pm when I got in from work and the road was blocked off. There were loads of police and they informed us that there had been an incident.”

Jackie Roberts, 61, of Croydon Road, said: “It is the first time I’ve heard of such horrible incident after 43 years of living here. It’s normally quite a quiet area.”

Police said the victim was taken in an ambulance to a south London hospital but has since been discharged.

A Met Police spokesman said: “Police are investigating a serious assault on a 23-year-old man in Coney Hall, Bromley on September 4.

“Police were called at approximately 8.55pm to reports of a fight in Coney Hill Road. Officers attended and found the victim with injuries.

“He was taken by ambulance to a south London hospital, but has since been discharged. A sledge hammer, which is believed to have been used during the assault, was also recovered by police at the scene”.

A London Ambulance service spokesman said: "We were called at around 8:55pm on the evening of September 4 to reports of an assault in West Wickham.

"We sent an ambulance crew to the scene. We treated a man for back and chest injuries. He was taken as a priority to hospital."

Anyone who witnessed the incident or with information should contact Detective Constable David Hampton at Bromley CID on 020 8284 8748.