A BRAVE Bewdley electrician has told how he fought off two men who tried to hi-jack his works van - while passing motorists drove by.

Father-of-two Wayne Holden, 38, risked his life to stop the robbers getting away with his van, which contained specialist electrical gear.

"It was pretty shocking but it was just one of those things," said modest Mr Holden, who works for Mr Electric electrical services, based in Bromsgrove.

He suffered a serious eye injury, which has left his vision impaired, and two broken ribs in the incident.

The drama began as Mr Holden was on his way to a call-out at about 8.35am on Saturday in his works van emblazoned with "Mr Electric" on the side panels.

He was driving along Stakenbridge Lane in Churchill when a white Ford Escort XR3i following him began flashing its lights and sounding its horn.

"I thought the back doors were open or something so I pulled over in a lay-by. I got out to check and both men in the car got out. One of them came over and just punched me in the face and then in the ribs. I was a bit winded and then realised he had jumped into the front seat of my van.

"I went straight over and pulled him out. We grappled on the ground and then he just ran off and jumped in his car with the other man and they sped off."

Mr Holden, of Belvedere Crescent, added the road was "quite busy" and several cars drove by as he was on the floor trying to fight off the man.

"I wasn't really surprised that nobody stopped - people are just frightened to get involved these days," he said.

Mr Holden drove to a police station before going to hospital for treatment to his injured eye, which suffered serious bruising and bleeding. His vision is impaired but he has been told it is due to the swelling.

The attackers were both Asian, about 5 ft 7 ins with dark, short hair. One wore a white t-shirt, black jeans and had a celtic band tattoo on his right arm. The other wore black trousers and bomber jacket. The car had low suspension and a noisy customised exhaust.

Anyone who can help Kidderminster Police with their inquiries should call 01562 820888.