Masked men robbed jewellery salesmen in a busy Bradford street in broad daylight - smashing the windows of their car and escaping with a large amount of Asian gold.

One man was hurt in the attack yesterday and treated for facial wounds at Bradford Royal Infirmary.

A silver Toyota Space Wagon people carrier - believed to belong to a jewellery wholesaler - was the target of the attack at 4pm yesterday and the robbers are believed to have escaped with a substantial haul. Today police were hunting the robbers who escaped the scene in Westgate in a stolen Vauxhall Vectra.

It is believed that the men in the silver people carrier had earlier delivered jewellery to a local shop. When it stopped at traffic lights at the junction of Westgate and Drewton Street, outside Rita's Caf, the silver car containing the assailants pulled up alongside.

Wearing masks, the attackers leapt out and set about the Toyota with wooden sticks, smashing the windscreen and all the windows.

A police spokesman said: "This was a nasty and vicious attack that came out of the blue. It happened in broad daylight. It isn't clear if the vehicle had been followed, but it would appear to have been."

He said he had no descriptions of the masked men who piled out of the silver Vauxhall Vectra and started attacking the people carrier. Afterwards, they got back in the Vectra and sped off down Drewton Road.

The car was later discovered - burned out and abandoned - in North View Road in the Bolton area of Bradford.

The car had been stolen three months ago in Guiseley and had been fitted with a false registration plate, V139 KBT.

Police are appealing for witnesses and would like to hear from anyone who saw the attack.

They also want to speak to anyone who saw the car afterwards or knew where it had been kept beforehand.

Information can be passed to police officers at the Bradford Central CID on (01274) 376487 or 374459.