A man and a woman were tied up and assaulted by men armed with a hatchet and crowbars during a burglary in Bray, Co Wicklow, early this morning.
The incident occurred at a house at Rocky Valley between 2.30am and 3.30am.
Gardaí said three armed and masked men entered the house they tied up the two occupants and assaulted them. Their injuries are not serious. The men left the house having taken a number of items, including paintings and jewellery.
A Garda spokesman said the raiders were wearing balaclavas and gloves and spoke with Dublin accents.
Two were being between 5ft 10in and 6ft tall. The third raider was described as 6ft 5in tall. They were armed with a yellow-handled hatchet and crow bars.
Investigating gardaí said they were anxious to speak to any person who may have seen anything unusual in the area between 2.30am and 3.30am.
They are particularly interested in two cars that may have been at or near the scene - a Silver Fiat Punto or similar and a Silver Nissan Primara or similar.
Witnesses or anyone with information is asked to contact gardaí at Bray on 01-666 5300, the Garda Confidential Line 1-800-666-111 or any Garda station.
A man and a woman were tied up and assaulted by men armed with a hatchet and crowbars during a burglary in Rocky Valley, Bray, Co Wicklow