A YOUNG father has told how he nearly bled to death after he was 'glassed' in the face when he got innocently caught up in a bar brawl.

Window cleaner Glynn Beale, 26, was enjoying a drink with friends at The Stein Bierkeller in Bradford city centre when a fight erupted.

When he went to help a friend who was being attacked he was struck twice in the face with a glass.

Mr Beale told how police rushed him to hospital with blood pouring from his wounds and he was told by doctors he could have bled to death.

The dad-of-two underwent more than three hours of surgery to repair a cut to his right eye, which severed his tear duct, and to stitch his lip back together. He is thought to have been permanently scarred.

Mr Beale who lives with his girlfriend, Sheralea Calvert, and his daughters Hollie, who is three on Saturday, and Lilly, nine months, appealed for help to trace his attacker.

"Anyone who is capable of doing this to me, could do it again. I don't want it to happen to anybody else," he said.

"I have been lucky. I could have lost my sight, or even my life. If anyone knows who is responsible they should come forward and tell police before someone else's family has to go through this."

Mr Beale had been watching boxing at a friend's house on Saturday evening and they decided to go for a drink at the Bierkeller.

The attack happened at about 2.30am on Sunday.

Mr Beale, of Arkwright Street, Tyersal, Bradford, said he was dancing in the bar when a fight erupted nearby.

"I saw a guy throw a punch at someone and I stepped back. A crowd of people were getting pushed forward. All hell broke loose.

"I saw someone hit one of my mates. I went over and grabbed the guy and told him to calm down, and he did. I was turning away when someone else came up and glassed me twice, on the chin and beside my eye," he said.

"It happened in a second. There was lots of blood pouring from my face, it was like someone had turned a tap on. The pain was horrendous. My lip was cut open and was hanging off and the glass had cut through an artery."

Mr Beale said the police attended and an ambulance was called, but he was losing so much blood the police officers drove him straight to Bradford Royal Infirmary.

He said: "The doctors said that it was a good job I got to hospital when I did or I could have bled to death."

He had numerous stitches inserted in a wound from his eye to his lip and had a tube inserted to repair his tear duct. He will have to go back to hospital in two or three weeks.

"If the tear duct doesn't mend properly I will have water running out of my eye for the rest of my life and I am going to be permanently scarred.

"My girlfriend fainted when she saw my injuries and had to be treated at hospital, and my three-year-old daughter was scared to go near me when she saw me.

"It's ridiculous that a stupid incident like that could have changed my life. If the glass had hit me a centimetre away from where it did I could have been blinded. It was an extreme thing to do and an act of a coward."

Detective Inspector Alan Flynn, of Bradford District CID, said: "This was a very serious and shocking incident which occurred while people were out enjoying themselves.

"The victim was badly injured by a glass which was thrust into his face and may be permanently scarred.

"The bar was very busy at the time of the incident and I am appealing for anyone who saw what happened to come forward.

"Somebody will know who was involved and I would appeal for them to assist us in tracing those responsible."

Anyone with information is asked to contact PC 4329 Murphy at Bradford District CID on 101, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.