Thugs have beaten a lesbian black and blue in a brutal anti-gay attack.

Maxine Julie Nelson, 42, was battered by a man with a stick outside the home she shares with partner Marie Moore, 37.

In the same attack, a brick was thrown through the window of their council flat off Barkerend Road.

And even as a police officer attended, the gang was banging on the window and the officer had to radio for assistance.

Now the women - who have been together for six years - say they no longer feel safe.

They say they had no alternative but to call in the police - who have confirmed they are treating it as a hate crime - and now want to be re-housed by the community housing trust.

Maxine, a mother-of-five, said the attack happened after an argument between her daughter and Marie which attracted a gang of onlookers.

As the row wore on she was suddenly turned on by the gang. She said: "We have been getting abuse and been spat at and shouted at for a year.

"There was this argument and this group of men gathered outside our house and suddenly turned on me. One man had a stick and was laying into me and calling me "lesbian" and slang names.

She added: "I really felt it. It really hurt. He picked up a stick and started laying into me over and over again - on my arm, my leg and my side. Every time we go out we are looking over our shoulders. We have to get out."

Marie added: "Everyone else round here is lovely. It is just this gang which is making our lives a misery because we are gay. They think because we are women living together we cannot retaliate."

On another occasion a car was driven at speed at the women then the brakes slammed on at the last minute.

The couple say the trouble has been going on throughout the 12 months that they have lived at the flat. Maxine attended Bradford Royal Infirmary after the incident on Tuesday night. X-rays revealed severe bruising but nothing broken. West Yorkshire police today confirmed they were treating the incident of assault and criminal damage as a hate crime.

"We will not tolerate the incident and we encourage anyone who feels they have been a victim of such a crime to contact police so it can be investigated thoroughly," he said.

Earlier this year another lesbian couple Emily Kendall and Donna Logan were driven out of their home in Allerton, Bradford, by attacks. "It is not fair," she said. She added: "In the end we had to move because it got so dangerous. The police were great with us and seemed to take it very seriously."

Emily and Donna are now happily resettled.