A MAN was attacked with a knife and hammer after two men called at a Southampton home he was visiting.

The 26-year-old was at friends’ when the pair came to the property in Cromwell Road in the Fitzhugh area of the city centre shortly after 1am on Christmas Eve.

The victim was assaulted with a knife and hammer, but escaped with only slight injuries to his ear and did not require hospital treatment.

The attack is being investigated by Hampshire police’s Operation Fortress team, which was launched earlier this year in a bid to cut out drug-related crime in Southampton.

Officers want to hear from anyone who heard a loud disturbance in Cromwell Road, which police believe may have drawn the attention of neighbours or passers-by.

The two attackers are both described as white. The first was stocky and in his late teens to early twenties and wore a balaclava or dark scarf over his face and was dressed in dark clothing.

The second man, who was is in his late twenties, had short, brown hair and wore a dark top and blue jeans.

Anyone with information about the incident should call the Operation Fortress team in confidence on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.