A woman was left for dead by three thugs who punched and kicked her in an unprovoked daylight attack.

Shirley Brennan, aged 33, was left with a fractured eye socket and bruising to her face when the louts lashed out at her without warning.

She has told how part of her face has been left numb and she is afraid to leave her house alone.

"They just went for me without warning," she said.

"All I remember is one of them punching me and then not being able to do anything while they carried on attacking me. If they had picked on someone who wasn't as strong as me, that person could have died."

The mother, from Leverhulme Avenue, Great Lever, was walking along a grassed area close to Bishop's Road, Great Lever, at 7.30pm on July 1 when she was attacked.

Ms Brennan had gone to meet her son Aaron, aged 14, who was returning from the Royal Bolton Hospital, but he had already left and she started to walk home.

The three men approached her and she asked them if they had seen her son, but they attacked her without warning. She was found unconscious by her 12-year-old son Ethan.

Ms Brennan was taken to the Royal Bolton Hospital before being transferred to a facial injuries unit at Blackburn Royal Infirmary.

Doctors were unable to operate on her face until 10 days after the attack because of severe swelling, and a metal plate was implanted in her cheek to help the bone heal.

Ms Brennan said at least one of her attackers was wearing a red England football shirt at the time of the attack, which took place just hours after England had been knocked out of the World Cup by Portugal.

"They might have been upset about the football, but it's no excuse to attack someone," she said.

"They should think about how they would feel if someone had attacked their mother."

All three men are described as being between 16 and 19 years of age and of stocky build.

One is said to have had short blond hair and all three spoke with local accents.

Sgt Ian Coop of the police in Bolton said: "This was a very nasty attack which was carried out without provocation on an innocent woman in broad daylight.

"It was the day that England were knocked out of the World Cup by Portugal and hopefully that will help to jog people's memories."

Anybody with information is asked to contact police on 0161 856 0963 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, quoting crime reference number 180544P/06.