Two men and two women have been assaulted and tied up by an armed gang during a violent burglary in Carryduff.

Five masked men, one wielding a suspected gun and another a baton, forced their way into a house on the Ballynahinch Road area of the town around 7pm on Wednesday.

They attacked a man and woman who were in the house and then assaulted another man and woman who called at the house as the burglary was unfolding. All four victims were tied up.

The two targeted men and one of the women were in their early 20s. The other woman was 18.

The intruders demanded money before making off with a sum of cash.

The injured men and women were treated by ambulance service personnel at the scene of the incident.

Police have appealed for witnesses to come forward.