Gainsborough: Three arrests over spate of attacks and violent robberies

One of the attacks took place close to the skatepark on Aisby Walk in Gainsborough on Tuesday

A man is in a serious condition in hospital after being attacked by youths in what police say was one of a series of attacks in a Lincolnshire town.

The man, in his 30s, reported being hit several times on the head with a piece of wood in Gainsborough on Tuesday.

The incident on Aisby Walk was one of four assaults and robberies in the town since Monday, according to police.

Three teenagers, aged 15, 16 and 18, were arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm and robbery.

All three had since been released on conditional bail, Lincolnshire Police said.

Officers said the victim of the Aisby Walk incident was subjected to a "sustained assault" after his attackers demanded money from him.

Meanwhile, a man in his 20s and a man in his 30s suffered cuts and bruises after similar incidents in Hickman Hill on Monday and in the Middlefield Lane area on Tuesday, police said.

In a fourth incident, on Elsham Walk, a man in his 40s told police on Tuesday that three youths had demanded he hand over his backpack and his mobile phone. He was not injured in the incident.

Officers said they believed the attacks were linked and they appealed for information.

Det Sgt Mike Head said: "We believe these robberies and assaults have all been entirely unprovoked and violent incidents, which have had a significant impact on the victims as well as the local community.

"We understand these details will be really worrying for people living and working in those communities to hear, and we want to reassure you we are doing everything we can to ensure your safety."