A 15-year-old boy was allegedly punched and kicked by a large group in a St Albans park after school on Monday.

The victim was in Verulamium Park with his friends at around 4.30pm when he was set upon by a group of around eight to 12 older boys, suffering cuts and bruises.

His attackers were aged 17 to 18, one was white and riding an orange mountain bike, while the others were either mixed race or black.

PC John Cooper, who is investigating, said: “This was a frightening ordeal for the victim and I would like to reassure the public that we are carrying out thorough enquiries to establish the circumstances of the incident and find those responsible.

“I am appealing for anybody who saw what happened, or anyone with information about the incident, to get in touch. Any information you have, no matter how small it might seem, could be vital to the investigation.

“We believe that the incident may have been recorded on camera and shared on social media. I would therefore like to remind the public that this may jeopardise legal proceedings and they should refrain from sharing any such video.”

Any witnesses or anyone with information should call the non-emergency number 101 quoting crime reference 41/44419/21.