A young woman was headbutted while her friend was indecently assaulted in a "completely unprovoked attack" after a night out clubbing.

In what police have described as a "disturbing and unusual" attack, one of the women had her top pulled up and was indecently touched.

Her friend was head-butted by another woman.

The two 20 year-old women were on their way home from Dukes Nightclub in Duke Street, Chelmsford, at 2.30am on Saturday.

They were confronted by two women and two men under the Duke Street viaduct, which is next to the railway station.

After surrounding their victims, one of the men carried out the indecent assault on one of the women.

When her friend tried to intervene she was subjected to a barrage of verbal abuse. She was then headbutted by one of the two women in the gang.

Her nose was not broken but she will have to go to a nose clinic for surgery.

All four members of the gang were described as being in their early to mid 20s. The man who committed the indecent assault was described as white but tanned, in his early 20s, about 5ft 8ins tall and stocky.

He had close cropped dark hair and was wearing a dark short sleeved top.

The woman who carried out the head-butt was described as about 5ft 7ins tall and of a slight build with long, layered blonde hair and wearing a light coloured top.

PC Matt Symes said: "It was a completely unprovoked attack. There were a lot of people in the area at the time.

"Two men approached the women afterwards to ask them if they were OK.

"We need to talk them and anyone else who may have seen anything at all that can help in finding this gang."

Any witnesses should contact PC Symes at Chelmsford Police Station on 01245 491212 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111

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