A homeless man has given a harrowing account of the moment he rushed to help severely wounded children in the aftermath of the Manchester Arena bomb attack.

Stephen Jones was sleeping near the venue on Monday night when he heard a huge bang, which he initially thought was a firework.

"I then realised what was happening and saw children coming out, screaming and covered in blood," the 35-year-old told ITV News.

He recalled, in graphic detail, wiping blood from children's eyes before noticing their horrific injuries.

"We were having to pull nails and bits of glass out of their arms and faces," he claimed.

He described a scene of devastation, where "lifeless" bodies of children were strewn on the floor surrounded by "hysterical" mothers.

"We haven't slept most of the night because of what we've seen."

The attack, carried out by a lone male suicide bomber, targeted the end of an Ariana Grande concert, killing at least 22 people and injuring dozens more.

The youngest victim so far has been named as an eight-year-old girl.

Mr Jones, a former bricklayer who has been sleeping rough for more than a year, added: "I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I'd just walked away.

"Just because I'm homeless, it doesn't mean I haven't got a heart.

"There's a lot of good people in Manchester who help us out and we need to give back too."