Two teens were arrested after an alleged assault left a man with a serious head injury.

Police received a call from the ambulance service reporting that a man had been found in an alleyway between Newstead Road and Holland Road in Weymouth.

The victim - a 29-year-old Weymouth man - had suffered a serious head injury and was taken to Dorset County Hospital for treatment.

He was released from hospital the following day.

It is alleged that the same man had been robbed of his rucksack and mobile phone shortly before the assault.

A 15-year-old local boy has been arrested on suspicion of robbery and a 16-year-old local girl was arrested on suspicion of assault and robbery.

They have both been released under investigation pending further enquiries.

The incident happened at around 9.22pm on Friday, November 17, but details were only released by Dorset Police today.

Ward councillor Cllr Tia Roos said: “It’s shocking and it’s disgusting that it’s happened. 

“One thing that concerns me is how many incidents of actual assault are happening in the area. It just seems to be never ending. 

“People need to be responsible for their behaviour. Residents don’t want to see this kind of thing happening regularly. 

“Weymouth is a lovely town and I still feel safe here, but it does seem to be happening a lot.

“An important message to get across is that residents need to contact police on 101 with information that they think is important or concerns them.”

In October, a report from the Office for National Statistics revealed that the number of violent crimes reported in Dorset has risen by nearly 60 per cent in two years. 

Detectives are now appealing for witnesses to come forward following the alleged incident.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police on 101, quoting crime number 55170179678.