DETECTIVES are searching for a machete-wielding gang of teenagers who nearly chopped off a man’s hand then left him bleeding in the street.

The 27-year-old victim, who is now undergoing emergency surgery to try and save his hand, was attacked by the gang on a housing estate just before midnight on Friday.

Officers believe the gang, who were aged between 16 and 18 and wore hoodies, was also responsible for the theft of £5,000 from a deaf 85-year-old woman who lived nearby earlier in the evening.

The attack happened on the East Ham estate in Brentwood, Essex, where the gang chased the victim before a scuffle broke out. One of them produced a machete and nearly sliced off the man’s hand before leaving him bleeding in the street.

Despite his injuries the victim managed to call his parents, who lived nearby. He is now being treated at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford, where according to doctors he is in a stable condition.

Detective Constable Caroline Williams, of Essex Police, appealed directly to parents to contact them if their children arrived home late last night “covered in blood stains”.

She said: “This was an extremely vicious assault and one which could result in the man losing his hand. It’s disturbing to discover teenagers out in the street so late at night so I would urge mums and dads to contact us immediately.”

In the earlier burglary, the teenagers, thought to be the same gang, broke into the home of a deaf pensioner as she sat watching television. She was only alerted to their presence when they turned a light on, and she immediately called police.

But before they arrived the teenagers made off with a black leather handbag containing £5000 she was saving for an orthopaedic bed.

Detective Constable Ian Krout, of Essex Police, said: “This woman is deaf and so didn’t hear the boys break into her home.

“The money was being saved to buy an orthopaedic bed for herself so you can see this was a really despicable burglary and one which should embarrass the thieves and their parents.”

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