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A woman was lucky not to have her head split open after a young teen threw a hatchet at her in Dublin city centre.

The disgusting attack happened on Mercer St where a gang of teens also reportedly terrorise and racially abuse a local shopkeeper.

Her fuming boyfriend Martin told of how his girlfriend live in the apartment above, and that she had it thrown at her as she went downstairs to go to the shop, Dublin Live reports.

Speaking to Joe Duffy on Liveline, Martin said they didn't realise what was thrown until they saw it on the stairs going back inside.

He said: "My girlfriend went downstairs to the shop to get pre-pay electric and she forgot her key.

"The bell rang and I lifted my receiver to look on the camera and I could see her arguing with somebody.

"She said 'open the door' so I opened it and went downstairs to see what was going on and I could see kids on the street.

"She said 'they're after throwing something at my head'.

"Whatever the kid threw he said 'it was a pity it didn't hit your head' and when we walked up the stairs we saw the hatchet.

Martin went on to explain that it went past her head and in the door as it was open, and when they went back in they saw it on the stairs.

"The kid that threw it jumped up and grabbed it, and as we went up the stairs into the apartment we watched him give it to a younger kid who went up the street with it.

"The kid was 14 or 15, no more than 16.

"I've seen anti-social behaviour, some of it you can laugh off it's not too bad, but throwing a hatchet."

Martin said he was speaking with the shop owner after who told him he locks the shop if he sees a gang of teens coming.

"He told me they come in, get the cartons of milk and open them up, throw cans of coke at him, they'll racially abuse him, he said sometimes they come around the counter and look to fight him."

Shop owner Malik then rang into the show and spoke of the abuse he's been getting from a gang on Aungier Street.

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He said: "They're between 14 and 17, the group that came in yesterday [Monday] and the guards are well aware of the issue.

"We do report it and there's a local guard who patrols the area, but they are underage so there's not a lot we can do about them.

"They tell us to f*** off and go back to our country and other things."

Despite this, he said he's going to keep going and thanked locals for their support.