A man needed hospital treatment after being battered with a brick by yobs who had terrorised his family for months.

Billy Graham, 43, was left with head and face injuries after he was attacked in the street.

He and his partner, Angelita Cowlishaw, say the assault is the culmination of more than a year of abuse, threats and damage they and neighbours have suffered at the hands of a pack of youths.

And she claimed they had received no help from police despite making at least 40 calls to them about incidents.

Mrs Cowlishaw, 36, of Crawford Street, East Bowling, Bradford, told how Mr Graham was walking their dog in the alley behind their home last Thursday night when he was set upon.

She said: "I heard the dog crying outside the door and when I opened it Billy was on the steps. His face was a mess. He didn't want to go to hospital because he didn't want to leave myself and my daughter on our own. But on Friday morning his eye had swollen up like a tennis ball, he had a lump on his head and one on his ear, so he went to Bradford Royal Infirmary.

"The police said he was lucky to be alive. Billy didn't see who did it, but it was a cowardly and vicious attack. I am scared of what might happen next."

Mr Graham said: "Three or four youths came up from behind and just hit me with a brick on the right side of my face. I got to the back door steps and collapsed. I blacked out for 20 minutes. Angelita found me and cleaned the wound.

"The hospital said I was lucky. The brick just missed my temple and that could have killed me. I didn't see the people who did it but I am sure they will be among the ones who have been targeting us for the last 12 months."

Mrs Cowlishaw, whose four-year-old daughter Donna-Marie died from a rare form of cancer eight years ago, said the couple's problems began more than a year ago after Mr Graham was convicted of assault.

She said he had been taking her eight-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, to the shop when they were verbally abused by a group of a dozen youths, one of whom threw a brick at them.

Mr Graham gave chase and apprehended one of the youths and a girl. He restrained them until police arrived but was then accused of assault.

Mrs Cowlishaw said that since then they had been subjected to verbal abuse, had windows at their home broken and had bricks and fireworks hurled at themselves and their animals by a gang of more than 50 youths aged between eight and 15.

And last month Mr Graham suffered a shoulder injury when he was hit by a brick thrown by a youth.

"It has been a life of hell," said Mrs Cowlishaw. "It's scary. You are looking over your shoulder every time you go out.

"We have phoned the police at least 40 times but they just say that unless we can catch the youths on camera there is nothing they can do. They have done nothing for us.

"Other people living round here have had to put up with these youths. There are a lot of older people who say they are sick and tired of children victimising them. One man in his '70s has had his windows broken and his pet cat was beaten to death."

Mr Graham said: "The police have taken a statement from me about the assault and photographed my injuries. But somebody is going to be killed before they do anything. They are doing nothing about it.

"It has got to the point where we dare not go out on our own. The police have got to take action to stop what is happening."

Chief Inspector Bill Hall, of Bradford South Police, yesterday (Fri) said their Neighbourhood Policing Team was aware of the problems and inquiries were ongoing.

He said: "Each individual incident is investigated at the time by officers. However the NPT task is then to look at all the issues together with a view to resolving them. We take all reports such as this seriously.

"Investigations are also underway into the assault reported to us and we are appealing for anyone with information, or who witnessed what happened, to contact us at Bradford Central police station on (01274) 376459."