A 21-year-old Chippenham man was left with a black and swollen eye after two men broke into his house and assaulted him during the early hours of Monday.

The victim was at home with his girlfriend in Little Englands when the men smashed their way through the front door and demanded he hand over cash.

He was then hit over the head with a bottle, leaving him with a black eye, a sore shoulder and a cuts to his back.

Police were alerted at 12.02am on Monday, when the victim’s girlfriend called to report the assault.

She said two black men wearing hoodies and facial coverings – one wearing a balaclava – smashed the window of the front door to get into the house, and once inside started shouting at her boyfriend.

It was then reported that they made off with £200, which the victim had been given for his birthday, after he had been assaulted.

An ambulance crew was sent to Little Englands and found the man to be conscious, but bleeding from his head.

A police spokesman said: “Despite the best efforts of the police and paramedics he refused to go to hospital.”

Officers spent several hours at the scene collecting forensic evidence, and a dog unit was dispatched to help the investigation.

Since the incident two men from Chippenham – one aged 24 and the other 21 – have been arrested and released on police bail pending further inquiries.

A neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: “Little Englands is just getting worse. There seems to be trouble around here almost every week, and there was that stabbing not long ago.

“But the police always come out and hopefully they will deal with this properly.”