A WOUNDED wedding guest has relived an attack which brought a day of celebration to a terrifying end

Paul Abbott, 32, was injured with a claw hammer and had spray aimed at his face at the Shajan Indian Restaurant on the A59 at Clayton-le-Dale.

He was taken to Blackburn Infirmary for treatment to head, arm and back injuries after the attack, at 11.30pm on Friday.

Paul, of Rutland Street, Blackburn, had been among a group of around 20 people celebrating the wedding of his friend, Lee Grimshaw.

He said: "We left and went to the Bonny Inn at Salesbury but when we got there we realised we had left the wedding cards behind.

"I went back with the lad who had got married and another friend to pick them up.

"Then this guy just came at me with a hammer in one hand and a bar in the other. He sprayed something in my eyes that felt like hot sand and the bridegroom was sprayed as well.

"He followed me outside and carried on laying into me while I couldn't see out of one eye."

Paul is now back at home nursing claw hammer marks and bruising as well as a cut head.

He said: "At one point I had to put my arm up to protect my head.

"The blow could have fractured my skull and it was only the next day that I thought to myself: 'I'm lucky to be here.'

Bridegroom Lee Grimshaw was horrified by the attack.

He said: "It was atrocious and I still can't believe it happened.

"It has really put a dampener on my wedding day.

"Me and my other friend, Mark Wilkinson, both got the spray in our eyes and we were temporarily blinded.

"But Paul got the brunt of it when he was hit with the hammer."

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