A brutal brawl at the Old Five Bells pub in Burnham saw a 31-year-old man punched and kicked in the head by a group of smartly dressed thugs.

The trouble began at 11pm last night when the victim had an argument with a man at the pub in Church Street.

It escalated into a brawl with other people becoming involved.

The victim was punched and kicked in the head by numerous offenders, one of whom kicked a bar stool into his head.

The offenders are all described as white men of medium build, aged in their 40s and wearing smart clothing.

The victim suffered cuts to his face and head as well as cuts to his inner ear which required hospital treatment.

He has since been discharged.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Vicky Bygrave of Force CID based at Aylesbury police station said: “This was a violent altercation in which one man suffered some significant facial and head injuries.

“I am appealing to anybody who was in the area on Friday evening who believes that they may have witnessed this incident to contact the 24-hour non-emergency number 101, quoting reference number 43190179943.

“I believe a number of people would have still been in the vicinity at the time of the incident, and so if anybody has any mobile phone, CCTV or dash-cam footage from the area, please also get in touch.

“If you don’t wish to speak directly with police, you can call the independent charity Crimestoppers 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111 or make a report online.”

* A 46-year-old man from Slough was arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm without intent and has been released under investigation.