A man was left lying battered and bloodied in the middle of the street after being hit with a length of wood in a vicious road rage attack.

The victim, 34, from Eastbourne, was attacked by a gang of men after a collision at traffic lights.

He drove off and parked his Audi TT in a nearby road but his attackers found him.

He was chased from his vehicle to a nearby street where he was set upon by the group.

They hit him repeatedly with a length of wood, possibly a baseball bat.

A passer-by is understood to have found him in the road, which was subsequently cordoned off.

A Sussex Police spokesman confirmed detectives were investigating the incident, which took place in Willingdon Road, Eastbourne, on Thursday at 8.15pm.

He said: “The victim was driving along the Willingdon Road in the direction of the town centre.

“He was stationary at traffic lights in the left-hand lane when a black Ford car pulled up alongside him.

“The cars collided at the lights as they turned green.

“The two drivers stopped and had a conversation. The Ford drove off – the other car was also going in the same direction.

“The driver of the other car, the victim, parked in Southdown Road.

“The Ford stopped and a group got out and chased him.

“He was attacked with what was described as a length of wood and left lying in the road.”

Yesterday the victim was still in Eastbourne District General Hospital suffering from a head injury.

Police are keen to talk to anyone who witnessed the incident or saw the cars in the area in the moments before and after- wards it happened.

Call Sussex Police on 101 quoting Operation Marsh.