PART of a Weymouth housing estate was sealed off today after a man was found lying unconscious in the gutter.

Police closed a section of Louviers Road, Littlemoor after the man was spotted on the roadside near the junction with Buddleia Close early this morning.

Offciers say the 31-year-old man, from Weymouth, had a head injury suggesting he had been assaulted, and he was taken by ambulance to Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester.

Injuries Police were alerted by a resident in Louviers Road just after 3am today, who said the man was lying in the gutter and was not moving.

Officers cordoned off the area and called Dorset Police crime scene investigators to the scene.

The injured man's father was notified and was at his son's bedside in hospital this morning, a police spokesman said.

The man's injuries are not thought to be serious or life-threatening.

Weymouth CID are investigating the incident.

Witnesses or anyone with information should contact police on 01305 222222.