POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a motorist was assaulted during a ‘road rage’ incident.

The 48-year-old victim, from Chester, was on the A41 Liverpool Road at its junction with A5032 Whitby Lane, Backford, at about 9am on Saturday when a car swerved in front of him, forcing him to slam on his brakes.

A verbal argument took place between the pair when the offender expressed unhappiness about the victim having overtaken him previously.

The man punched the victim to the face, causing an injury to his mouth which required stitches.

He then drove off toward Ellesmere Port on the A5032. He was driving a blue Vauxhall Vectra with a registration which included the characters ‘L54’.

DC Stuart Needham said: “There is no excuse for violence in a situation like this and the victim suffered a nasty injury to his mouth as a result of the offender’s overreaction. If anyone saw the incident I would be very keen to speak to you, so please contact police.”

The offender is described as white, aged 28-38 and had a shaven head with light hair. He was wearing a dark T-shirt and jeans.

Anyone with information about the incident should call the police on 0845 458 0000, quoting incident number 499 of April 16, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.