People in Dereham insist the town is safe and that assaults are rare after an incident in which a woman was punched in the face.

Officers were called to the town's Market Place at around 10.30pm on Sunday May 2, to reports a man in a parked black Audi car had punched a female passenger in the same car. The car then left the Market Place.

A man in his 30s, and from the Dereham area, was later arrested nearby on suspicion of assault and taken to Wymondham Police Investigation Centre for questioning.

He has been released on police bail while officers continue with their enquiries.

Dereham mayor Stuart Green said: “It’s a shame to hear about an assault happening in the town centre on the weekend.

“I’m glad to hear the police have had success in their investigation and hopefully any witnesses will come forward to assist them,” he added.

“Thankfully it’s rare that we have assaults in the town and such crime is low.”

Damon Harris, co-owner of Harris Hardware on the Market Place, said he was “quite shocked” by the news of the assault.

He added that he would “not at all” expect something like that to ordinarily happen in Dereham.

“I’ve always felt very safe in the town, and I believe my wife has as well,” said Mr Harris.

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District councillor Alison Webb said: “At the end of the day, it’s a shame that we have incidents such as this, because the majority of the community would never do anything like that.

“We all need to be vigilant, work together and try and help individuals - it’s a very stressful time at the moment, because we’re just coming out of lockdown,” she added.

“Incidents like this in Dereham are very rare, thank goodness. Hopefully, now that the police have arrested somebody, that will be the end of it.”

Any witnesses or people with information are asked to come forward.

Officers are particularly keen to speak to the moped riders who were in the area at the time of the incident.

They should contact PC Lacey Lloyd at Norfolk Police on 101 quoting investigation number 36/29329/21.