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A gang of four or five men smashed their way into the house in Hawkeshead Road using baseball bats.

They beat their victim about the head and body causing several broken bones and then torched the lounge. A second man fled the property and alerted the emergency services.

The injured man was taken to hospital for treatment but police are keeping his whereabouts secret for his protection. A firefighter was also treated for burns.

Detectives are looking for three black men and two others, possibly white, seen leaving the property. One was six feet tall, slim, and was wearing a three-quarter-length coat.

Anyone with information can contact Collyhurst CID on 856 3940 or can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 anonymously.