Members of a York band were attacked by a gang of young thugs as they emerged from a rehearsal.

Singer Michael Mason said the incident happened outside Burton Stone Community Centre on Tuesday evening after his band Chocolate Spiders had finished rehearsing inside.

He said he discovered a gang of youths hanging around outside were damaging his Renault Clio.

The car had suffered about £600-worth of damage, including a smashed rear window, four dints along one side and damage to a sunroof and aerial. And he said he only had third party insurance.

As band members intervened to protect the car, they were assaulted, with the bass guitarist known as "Reaper" having his nose fractured in three places.

He said up to 30 or 40 young people were involved in the attack, some wielding broom handles and Hoover tubes taken from inside the community centre.

Mr Mason, 33, of Clifton, said trouble in the area was getting worse. "Someone is going to get killed before they do anything."

A police spokesman said the incident had been reported but no one had yet been arrested.

The area was hit by another incident the night after the attack, when a car was badly damaged and then set on fire on the site of the former Imperial Inn.

Updated: 09:12 Friday, June 22, 2001