THE owner of a Bridport kebab shop has told of his shock after learning of a violent assault outside his premises which left one of the victims with severe facial injuries and a bleed on the brain.

The shocking events early on Saturday have been condemned by people in Bridport who say it is unusual for the town.

Police say a serious assault was reported to them at 2.56am, with two men being assaulted by two other men. One of the victims, a local man in his 40s, ended up unconscious on the floor. He was taken to hospital with severe facial injuries and a bleed on the brain. The other victim, a man in his 30s, suffered bruising.

A 35-year-old man from Lincolnshire was arrested on suspicion of assault and is helping police with their enquiries, but police say a second suspect left the area in a taxi.

The attack happened outside Bridport Kebab House in East Street but was not connected to the premises as the business had closed some hours earlier.

Hamdi Ceylan, owner of Bridport Kebab House, has been serving the community for 30 years and said he was "extremely sorry" to hear of what happened outside his premises.

He said he closed the shop at around 11pm on Friday and went home for the night.

"We found out about the incident the following day," Mr Ceylan said.

"We are extremely sorry to hear of what happened - we don't want these things happening in our town. It's a small town, a small community - I've been serving the town for 30 years, so to have something like this happen is really bad - it's actually really shocking."

Police are appealing for witnesses and want to speak to people in the area who may have filmed the incident on their phones.

The call for witnesses was echoed by leader of Bridport Town Council, Councillor David Rickard, who expressed sympathies towards the victims' loved ones and urged anyone with information to come forward.

"Compared with a lot of places these things are quite rare in Bridport but they're still unacceptable," he said. "It is a great shame there are people who think it's acceptable to abuse people in this way. We ask for anybody to come forward if they have any information at all."

He added: "Incidents such as this do not just affect the victims - they are all members of families and have friends and loved ones - it impacts the whole community."

Detective Inspector Mark Portelli, of Western CID, said: “We are making a number of enquiries, including looking at CCTV.

“It was reported that the other suspect left the area in a taxi.

“I am appealing for witnesses or anyone with information about those involved to come forward.

“Also, I believe some people in the area at the time may have captured the incident on their mobile phones. Therefore, I am particularly interested in hearing from anyone who has relevant footage.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police at www.dorset.police.uk, via email 101@dorset.pnn.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting occurrence number 55210118768. Alternatively, to stay 100 per cent anonymous, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or call Freephone 0800 555 111.