A MAN has been badly beaten by three armed men in Ardoyne.

Shortly after 11:30pm on Monday, police say a man in his 30s was walking in the Ardoyne Road area when a silver Volkswagen Polo car pulled up beside him.

Three men armed with weapons including a claw hammer and a metal bat exited the vehicle and assaulted him. The men then made off in the vehicle following the incident.

One of the males involved is described as being of heavy build wearing a dark coloured mask.

The man received fractures and lacerations following the assault and was treated in hospital for his injuries. 

Detective Sergeant Faulkner said: “Enquiries are continuing and police would appeal to anyone with any information to contact police on 101 quoting reference number 1440 21/04/26.

"We believe there were vehicles in the area at the time of the assault, so we would appeal to anyone with dashcam footage taken to contact police.

“You can submit a report online using our non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/.

"You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/.