Five daylight raids were carried out by police investigating a series of attacks in a town.

Six people were arrested after 35 police officers, including dog handlers, swooped on addresses in Hailsham and Uckfield.

The raids were based on intelligence that a gang of up to 15 young people was responsible for a catalogue of attacks on residents in the Hailsham area, the latest on New Year's Eve.

A man was attacked before being stripped naked and driven in minus 6C temperatures to the A271 at Horsebridge, near Hailsham, where he was forced out of the car.

On New Year's Eve a 25-year-old man was left semi-conscious after being kicked and punched to the floor in the toilets of the George Hotel in George Street, Hailsham.

He remained stable but still semi-conscious at Eastbourne District General Hospital last night, where he was undergoing further tests to reveal the extent of his skull damage.

Police said the incidents have escalated in seriousness during the last four weeks, with the George Hotel incident resulting in life-threatening injuries.

Today police charged four people with a variety of offences in connection with attacks.