Dyfed-Powys Police officers carried out a major search in Cardigan on Sunday afternoon following a tip-off that a man wanted in connection with an earlier incident at Synod Inn had been spotted in the vicinity.

Officers had previously arrested one man and were said to be acting on information that his accomplice could be in the Cardigan area.

It followed an incident at Synod Inn at around lunchtime the previous day when an officer sustained cuts and bruises after being attacked by the occupants of a passing car which had been pulled over for a routine stop.

Two men were said to have made off from the scene on foot.

A Dyfed-Powys Police spokesman said the injured officer was currently awaiting further medical assessments and was unable to resume his duties.

A large-scale search was subsequently carried out through the afternoon and evening before a 29-year-old man from the Sussex area was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer and three counts of taking vehicles without consent. He remains in police custody.

On Sunday afternoon there was a large police presence in Cardigan while the Dyfed-Powys Police helicopter hovered overhead.

Officers urged people to keep their vehicles and outbuildings locked while the operation, which also involved sniffer dogs, was carried out.

Chief Supt Peter Roderick said: “We are asking people to remain vigilant, not fearful, as at the present time we believe this man to pose more of a risk to police officers than members of the public.

“We are using all the information we have to trace him, and people living in the Cardigan area might have noticed a higher than usual police presence as we act on intelligence we have received.

“We continue to urge people in Ceredigion to keep their domestic and farm vehicles locked, with the keys out of the ignition.

“This will minimise opportunities for the individual to leave the area.

“Please also report any suspicious information to us, particularly if you believe someone might be using a shed or outbuilding for cover.

“Please report any suspicious behaviour to police by calling 999.”