A SPRAY painter is relieved to still have his right arm but is angry to have been so badly injured after confronting dirt-bike riders he claims were terrorising his neighbourhood.

“What was the point of that? That didn’t have to happen,” Malcolm Waters, of Midland, said after extensive surgery to repair his injured arm.

“I’m going to be off work for several months probably.”

The 44-year-old and his cousin were attacked on Saturday after yelling at two dirt-bike riders who were allegedly hooning around the street where there is a children’s playground.

Camera Icon Malcolm Waters underwent eight hours of surgery to repair damage to his hand. Credit: Seven News

Mr Waters claimed they had been doing it for months — terrorising the neighbourhood and damaging property.

The men left but not for long, returning with friends and attacking Mr Waters and his cousin.

His cousin was punched to the ground. “Another one of them smashed a beer bottle on his head and they started jumping on him, kicking him,” Mr Waters claimed.

They then turned on him. “They all came at me, circled me and one of them came at me with a samurai sword,” Mr Waters said.

“As soon as they cut it I thought, ‘That’s gone’.

“I thought I was going to bleed out.

“My hand was hanging down. I was shocked for a minute, so I picked my hand up and tried to stick it back on.”

It took eight hours of surgery, 150 stitches and several metal pins to repair damaged bones, nerves,

tendons and arteries but doctors at Royal Perth

Hospital believe they have saved his right hand.

“I was pretty happy to see I still had a hand to tell you the truth,” Mr Waters said.

Apart from his injuries, Mr Waters is angry he was attacked in front of young children at the park.

“It would have traumatised them,” he said.

“Little kids don’t need to see that.”

Mr Waters is the sole breadwinner for his family and is unsure when he will be able to return to work.

He knows it will be a struggle but he said it was important to stand up to the hoons.

No charges have been laid.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers

on 1800 333 000