An Ashburton policeman is recovering after a weekend attack left him with stitches to his face.
Senior Sergeant Scott Banfield said the constable was attacked while responding to a report of people fighting in Ashburton's town centre, and he was one of several people hurt in the incident.
"The constable's colleagues pursued the offender on foot but were unable to locate him," Mr Banfield said.
"A number of the members of the public caught up in this incident also required treatment for minor injuries."
Police arrested a number of people for disorder offences but the person responsible for the attack had not been found and an investigation was ongoing, he said.
