British cyclist Mark Cavendish has revealed that he was assaulted and his family threatened during a burglary at his home in November.

The 36-year-old was at home with his wife and children in the early hours of the morning on November 27 when four armed men broke in and "violently attacked" him.

None of the family sustained serious injuries in the incident, but the group are reported to have stolen a Louis Vuitton suitcase as well as two "high-value" watches.

Cavendish said in a statement: "As I'm sure you will understand, this incident has left our family extremely distressed – not just myself and Peta but our children as well, who feared for their lives and are now struggling with the after-effects.

"No one should have to experience the sort of violence and threats made against us, let alone this happening in a family home – a place where everyone should feel safe.

"The items taken are simply material goods and our priority at the moment is to make sure we all recover from the incident as a family, and we know this is likely to take some time. We would like to place on record our thanks to Essex Police for a really quick response and the professionalism and the focus they are clearly putting into the investigation."

Essex Police Detective Inspector Tony Atkin said in a statement: "This was undoubtedly a targeted incident at the home of a celebrated British Olympian, who at the time was recovering from significant injuries resulting from a crash whilst competing, which was well publicised. Our investigation is moving along at pace and we are following a number of lines of inquiry as we seek to catch those responsible.

"Mr Cavendish and his wife were assaulted and threatened in their own home, in the presence of their young children, who witnessed these events. Thankfully, they are recovering, but the traumatic effect will be long standing.

"It is likely the people who stole these items are attempting to offload them for sizeable sums of money and I would urge anyone who is being offered these items to please get in touch with us – they are stolen property."

Images of the stolen items have been released on the Essex Police website, but no arrests have been made, with police appealing for witnesses in the Ongar area between 2am and 2.40am on November 27.

Cavendish - who has just signed a new one-year deal with Deceuninck–Quick-Step - was assaulted six days after his crash at the Ghent Six left him with two broken ribs and a collapsed lung.