The incident, which locals say also saw knives wielded, occurred shortly after midday on Wednesday beside the Thomas Paine statue on King Street in the centre of Thetford.

Witnesses say the victim - who is being treated at Addenbrooke's Hospital, in Cambridge - was "left for dead" on the ground after being bludgeoned in the head.

They say the man - who is understood to work at a nearby convenience store, Euro Plus Market - was attacked by a group of two men and a woman.

The men were said to have been wielding knives and struck the man with a hammer, knocking him unconscious.

At this point witnesses say the trio piled in to a blue Range Rover and drove off from the scene. The end of the cordon outside the Bell Inn on King Street in Thetford following the hammer attack (Image: Newsquest) A man working in a nearby estate agent's said he heard the disturbance in the street and rushed out to find the victim........

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