Two masked men forced their way into a house and attacked a man and two teenage children with a baseball bat.

Detectives investigating the aggravated burglary in Dorchester are now appealing for anyone with information to come forward.

Residents told of their shock following the terrifying raid at a property in Cambridge Road, which happened shortly after midnight on Monday.

Police said once they were inside the men assaulted the three occupants of the house – a man and two teenage children - with a weapon, believed to be a baseball bat.

It is not believed that anything was taken from the property.

The offenders both wore face coverings and dark clothing.

The three victims were all taken to hospital, where they received treatment to cuts.

Detective Constable Nick Gravenor, of Weymouth CID, said: “We are continuing to investigate this incident and have made a number of enquiries, including house to house enquiries in the local area.

“I would urge any witnesses or anyone with information that can assist our investigation to please contact us immediately.

“We are supporting the victims and have increased patrols in the area to offer reassurance to the local community. Our officers can be approached with any concerns.”

Dorchester town and district councillor, David Taylor, said he was 'shocked' to hear about the incident. 

"This is a nasty, nasty incident. My heart-felt thoughts are with the family and I hope they all make a full recovery.

"I hope the people responsible are caught and dealt with severely, what has happened is unacceptable. I would encourage anyone with any information to come forward and speak to police."

Members of the community have also spoken of their shock and said they saw a police cordon in place on Monday.

One resident who lived in the area, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: "We all know each other here and we all speak to each other.

"We always have our windows open but we didn’t hear anything. It’s strange for something like that to happen on this road.”

Another said: “It does make you think about your safety. But you can’t just keep your head down and not leave the house.”

Another resident said the incident had made them feel "unsafe".

They said: "In this area, we are thinking about our children. It always makes you feel worried when something happens to a neighbour.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police at dorset.police.uk, via email 101@dorset.pnn.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting occurrence number 55170180561.

Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via crimestoppers-uk.org