A family are desperately appealing for witnesses after three teenagers were assaulted in a racially aggravated attack in broad daylight.

Last Thursday, Stephanie Villegas, 16, Hollie Vincent, 16, and Rohan Reda, 17, were walking along High Street South, near the White Horse Pub, in East Ham, at about 6pm when two men began hurling racial abuse at one of the youngsters.

The teenagers claim they had been “punched” and “thrown to the floor” in the unprovoked attack.

“It was disgusting. We had already walked past them once when they called my cousin Rohan a n****r,” Hollie explained.

“A little while after, we walked past them again and that’s when it started. They were older men, at least in their forties.”

Hollie, who has just completed her studies at Brampton Manor Academy, said the abuse started after one of the men claimed Rohan had been “eyeballing him”.

The men then started following them and even threw an apple at the group of friends.

“That is when we asked them to leave us alone, but he then punched me in the face and I fell to the ground,” Hollie said.

During the attack, it is believed the men pulled Stephanie’s hair, broke her phone, and pulled off Rohan’s chain.

Hollie added: “I’ve lived in the area my whole life but have never seen anything like it.

“The worst thing was people were actually standing there and watching but finally two schoolboys came to help us.

“All three of us were assaulted. It was a racist attack against my cousin and I just don’t understand how two grown men assault two young girls.”

No arrests have been made and enquiries continue.

Anyone with information about the incident should call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.