A 56-year-old man was left with injuries to his eyes, head and face after he was attacked and robbed following a night out in Bolton.

David Partington, a railway telecoms engineer from Liverpool, had been out drinking in the town centre with friends when he left to walk to his mother's home at around 1am on July 6.

While he was walking down Bradford Road he was “jumped” by two men between the junctions with Green Lane and Bishops Road.

He said: “The two lads just came out of nowhere and attacked me.

“I tried to outrun them but they got me onto this driveway and onto my back. I tried to defend myself but they battered me into submission and when I tried to get up they pummelled me and made my face a right mess.”

The assault left Mr Partington with a broken cheekbone, injuries to his eyes ­— aggravating his pre-existing eye problems ­— and cuts and bruises.

The attackers also robbed Mr Partington and made off with two iPhones, a camera and battery pack, as well as three credit cards and around £40 in cash.

Mr Partington says the thieves then attempted to use the cards later that same morning.

Their attempts were successful four times at premises in Derby Street, he claims, before the cards were declined at another premises.

Following the attack, Mr Partington was spotted by an off-duty police officer who alerted his colleagues and called an ambulance.

He said: "I feel shaken up by the attack and I'm quite traumatised. Nothing like this has happened to me before.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police confirmed that enquiries into the attack are still ongoing.

A North West Ambulance Service spokesman said: “We were called to a male patient with a head injury in Bradford Road at 2.45am on Saturday.

“We sent one ambulance to the scene and the man was treated at the scene and did not need to go to hospital.”

Anyone with any information can contact the police on 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.