A gang of youths wearing Halloween masks attacked a man in Esher last week.

The 48-year-old was walking home at 7.45pm on Halloween, last Tuesday, when he was approached by the youngsters in Hare Lane.

Police reported the man felt a bit threatened so walked into the road to avoid the gang. But a member of the group followed him and punched him in the back and then in the face.

Although the man was not seriously hurt he was shocked by the incident.

Paul Yearwood, neighbourhood inspector for Elmbridge, said: "If anyone has any knowledge of who committed the assault, we would be very keen to hear from them and I would encourage them to contact us as soon as possible.

"We will continue to work to stamp out these isolated incidents associated with Halloween."

There were also several reports of gangs in Elmbridge throwing eggs at passers-by and at houses.

But Insp Yearwood said that on the whole officers reported a generally quiet and well-behaved night both over Halloween and bonfire weekend.

He added: "In addition to our normal police response teams, the borough of Elmbridge had a dozen police officers on patrol on Halloween night to tackle any potential incidents."

Anyone with information should call Esher police on 0845 125 2222.