A man is waiting to hear whether he will lose his sight after thugs beat him up in a Mid Sussex park.

The victim has a rare eye condition and faces being blinded for life after the unprovoked attack.

The 25-year-old man was set upon as he walked his girlfriend home from her 20th birthday party at a night club in Burgess Hill.

The attackers pounced as the couple walked through St John's Park, kicking and punching the man to the floor.

Police have recovered CCTV footage which shows the group following the pair from the town centre to the park at around 1.15am on Sunday.

His horrified girlfriend raised the alarm as the gang fled.

Tests were carried out on the victim at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath and he is now awaiting the results. He was also treated for extensive bruising and shock.

PC Darren Bolt said: "The man has a condition where a blow can easily detach the retina from the optic nerve and cause blindness.

"Hopefully this assault has not caused that damage but the reality of the situation is we cannot be sure.

"The attack was totally unprovoked and we want the public to help us find whoever was responsible."

The victim, said to be shaken, was today recovering at home in Burgess Hill.