A vicious assault on a young man on a busy Bradford street in broad daylight is thought to have been racially motivated.

The 20-year-old Polish man was hit with a hammer and a plank of wood during the brutal and sustained attack by a gang of Asian men.

The incident happened in Legrams Lane, Listerhills, on Sunday night but the man is still detained in hospital. He suffered severe cuts and bruises to his head and body, a broken arm and wrist injuries during the assault, which lasted for 15 minutes.

Police are disappointed that not a single person has come forward with information about the attack, despite there being numerous witnesses in cars which were forced to stop as the attack spilled into the road.

Detective Inspector Noel Devine, of Bradford North CID, said they were treating the attack as racially motivated.

He said: "We believe these men were attacked because they are Eastern European. They were not robbed and there appears to be no other motive."

He said there were issues in the area involving the Asian and Eastern European communities after an influx of Polish people in the last year.

The three friends, two aged 20 and one 19, were attacked as they walked to a shop in Legrams Lane between 10.30pm and 11pm last Sunday.

They were confronted by a group of four or five Asian men, who verbally abused and punched them.

The friends, who are all Polish, fled but one 20-year-old was tripped up as he ran across the road and was then set upon by about seven men, one of them wielding a hammer. He was struck with the weapon about the head and body.

He fled to nearby houses but was attacked again by the gang, who by then had a plank of wood.

Traffic was forced to stop as the victim was being beaten in the road but police said none of the motorists had come forward as witnesses.

The victim also told them that people in the houses looked out of windows and saw him being assaulted but they have not contacted the police either.

Detective Chief Inspector Ingrid Cannon, of Bradford North Police, said: "This young man - while he did receive serious injuries which are likely to prevent him from working for a number of months - could have been left in an even worse condition.

"No-one has so far been prepared to help the police catch his attackers. If you saw this happening, contact us. These people are clearly dangerous and need to be dealt with by the courts."

Det Insp Devine said the victims had been living in the Listerhills area for about three months but have been rehoused to another area of Bradford following the attack.

He said they had come to the country to improve their knowledge of English and either go to college or train for a trade.

He added: "They have a legal right to be in the country and their intention is to stay and contribute to the community."

DI Devine added: "His injuries are quite horrific. He was given a serious beating. This type of attack should not be accepted or condoned by anybody."

The suspects are all Asian men, aged between 16 and 27. One was about 25 to 27 years old, with a beard and short black hair.

Anyone who saw the attack, or has any information, is asked to contact Lawcroft House police station on (01274) 376259, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.