DETECTIVES are hunting a sadistic attacker who they believe bit off and swallowed a man's eyebrow in a sickening street brawl.

CCTV footage shows in detail how the monster clamped his teeth onto his victim's left eyebrow and savagely ripped it off. The tape has been seized for closer investigation.

Uniformed officers arrived at the scene in Fore Street, Trowbridge, minutes after the incident in the early hours of Saturday morning, July 20.

They found the victim, who is in his 30s, in agony, as blood poured from a gaping wound. He was taken to Trowbridge Community Hospital and it is feared he will need plastic surgery to repair his torn eyebrow.

A second victim, in his 40s, was beaten unconscious by two men as he tried to free his friend from the attack. Detectives working on the case say it is the one of the most savage and bizarre injuries they have ever seen. Police officers scoured the area searching for the missing eyebrow but were unable to find it. They believe the attacker swallowed it minutes after biting it off.

DC Neil Le-Maire said: "We really don't know what happened to the eyebrow. We believe he must have swallowed it as officers searched the area afterwards. It was absolutely horrific. The victim has been disfigured and his attacker is a very worrying danger.

"I have seen ears and noses bitten before but never an eyebrow."

The two victims were at the kebab van outside Midland Bank when one of them stopped to speak to two women.

A man who was with the two females then punched the victim in the face before biting into his eyebrow and tearing it off. The second man was punched from behind and repeatedly kicked in the face by two other men. The offenders ran off in the direction of Lloyds Bank before police arrived.

DC Le-Maire said: "We know there were a lot of people about and are appealing for them to come forward."

Police are searching for the two women seen with the attacker. They are both white, in their early 20s, one with long dark hair and one with long blond hair.

The offender is described as male, in his late 20s, around 6ft 1, stocky to muscular build, clean shaven with dark hair which was long on top and short at the sides. He was wearing a beige checked shirt with dark trousers or jeans.

Anyone with information should call DC Le-Maire on (01225) 763101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.