A TAXI driver has spoken of the moment he thought he was going to die as five thugs beat him unconscious.

And a spokesman for East Lancashire taxi drivers today called for stiffer sentences for thugs who assault cabbies.

Self-employed Bernard Tunney, 58, of Clitheroe, has demanded more protection from the police as he believes it is only a matter of time before a driver is murdered.

Police also made an appeal for witnesses to the "unprovoked and violent" attack to come forward with information.

Mr Tunney was reluctantly returning to work today, despite still being bruised, as he says he cannot afford to be off for long.

But he vowed to never again work nights or take people to Clayton-le-Moors, where he was attacked in Sparth Road at about 2.15am on Saturday.

Mr Tunney, a taxi driver for ten years, picked up the teenage boys from Rendezvous nightclub in Whalley.

He said: "They were rowdy and I was reluctant to take them, but they said 'come on mate, take us home'.

"Once in the car, they were spitting and arguing, and I asked them to calm down a bit. They started swearing at me, so I told them I didn't want any bother.

"When we got to Sparth Road, one came around to the front and spat in my face, then another hit me in the face.

"There was a struggle and I was on the floor being hit and kicked. It must have been about 20 times.

"I thought I was going to die. They were just animals. I am 16 stone and 6ft 3ins tall and I can look after myself. If I was small, I would have been on a marble slab now."

Two men came to help Mr Tunney and the gang fled towards Warwick Avenue. They called 999 as Mr Tunney lay bleeding on the pavement near his seven-seater black cab.

DC Ian Proctor, of Great Harwood CID, said: "It was a totally unprovoked and violent attack on a member of the public going about earning his living.

"The offenders have run off from near Sparth House to Warwick Avenue at around 2.15am. If anyone has seen five youths in that area, they should contact us."

This is the seventh serious assault on taxi drivers in East Lancashire in under a year.

And Mohammed Arif, chairman of the Hyndburn Taxi Association, today called for stiffer sentences on the thugs.

He said: "Taxi drivers are very vulnerable, especially at night, and I am concerned about the increasing number of assaults on them.

"These thugs need to be taught a lesson and we are calling for stiffer sentences for anyone who assaults taxi drivers going about their work."

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Great Harwood CID on 01254 353341.