A DEVASTATED teenager has been told he could lose his eye after shards of glass shot into his face.

Doctors are to operate on the 17-year-old boy after he was tragically caught up in street fighting outside the Three Pigeons pub in Astley Bridge.

The victim, from Sharples, had been walking along Blackburn Road with his girlfriend after buying food from a takeaway.

As he walked past the pub, a glass was thrown towards him which smashed on a nearby parked car.

The shattered glass flew into the boy's face and shards flew into his eye.

He was rushed to the Royal Bolton Hospital where he needed 18 stitches for his injuries.

He has been speaking to consultants at the Royal Bolton Hospital and the Manchester Eye Hospital.

Medical examinations revealed the cornea had been damaged and the lens had become removed from the eye.

The distraught teenager has been told that his eye may need to be removed if the retina becomes fully detached.His injuries have left him unable to work and possibly shattered his dreams of joining the police force.

He said: "I was working as a joiner with my dad, but was hoping to join the police to follow in the footsteps of my grandfather who is a retired police superintendent.

"This has been ruined by this one ridiculous incident."

Months after the incident, detectives are still hunting the attacker.

The incident which happened between 10.15pm and 10.30pm on Saturday, October 9.

Police believe that the pint glass was throw from a small tarmacadamed area outside the pub, or by someone walking along the road.

A number of police cars had attended the pub during the evening after fighting broke out outside.

DS Paul Hitchen said: "This has had a devastating effect on his life.

"It's agony not knowing what will happen with his eye.

"He's a decent young lad who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"He had nothing to do with the trouble outside the pub."

Anyone with information should contact DS Paul Hitchen on 0161 856 0961.