AN ELDERLY man sustained serious cuts to his head and hands after he was assaulted by a burglar wielding a knife.

The offender forced his way into an address on Harewood Avenue, Littledown, and assaulted an 83-year-old man with a knife.

The victim sustained a large cut to his head, cuts on his hand and back injuries during the incident and required medical treatment at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital.

The incident occurred at around 7pm on Saturday and also saw a number of items stolen from the property.

Detective Constable Danielle Knight, of Bournemouth CID, said: “The victim sustained serious injuries during this incident.

“I would like to hear from anyone who was in the area on the Saturday evening and saw or heard anything unusual or suspicious.

“I urge anyone with any information to contact Dorset Police, in confidence, on 101.”

A 35-year-old Bournemouth man was arrested on suspicion of aggravated burglary and released on police bail until the beginning of March pending further enquiries.

Cllr Lawrence Williams, ward councillor for Littledown and Iford, said: “Something like this is a very rare occurrence in our ward.

“I am extremely shocked and appalled to hear that this has happened and with it being on Harewood Avenue, that is so close to home.

“We have a very robust neighbourhood watch scheme in our area and we will be stepping this up as a result of this incident.”

Residents have also spoken of their horror. Clive Butters, who lives locally and is also a Neighbourhood Watch coordinator, said: “This is far more serious than any incident we usually have in this area, so it is a shock.

“If anyone has any concerns or is worried they should contact the police or Neighbourhood Watch for some crime prevention advice.”

Graham Nickless, who lives nearby, said: “We try to look out for each other and look after our neighbours but I’ve never heard of anything as bad as that.

“I’m surprised and a little shocked that this can happen on our doorstep – but you can’t be naive to think it doesn’t happen at all.”

Witnesses and anyone with information should call Dorset Police on 101, quoting incident 21:343.