A MAN suffered a broken nose and his wife had her teeth knocked out when they were attacked by a gang.

Max Eldred, 30, and Leesha Sheeran-Eldred, 25, who will need surgery for their injuries, describe the incident as the worst night of their lives.

The couple were getting the last train home to Bexhill on Saturday when a gang of five or six men began causing trouble.

The men picked on their friend, ruining what had been an enjoyable evening.

Mr Eldred, said: “One of the men barged our friend as he walked past, so our friend made a quirky comment.

“The man retaliated, pushing and shoving him.

“Once he was on the floor, they started kicking him.

“Naturally, when Leesha saw it she went over to try and break it up.”

He added: “I’m not sure why they started with our friend.

“He’s a big guy and quite stocky, so maybe it was a male ego thing.”

Mr Eldred said his wife was pleading with the man to leave the friend alone but the man turned and punched her on the mouth.

The punch knocked out two of her teeth and she suffered a broken jawbone.

The main attacker is described as around 5ft 10in with blonde hair.

He is thought to be in his late 20s and was wearing a blue shirt.

Mr Eldred said two of the man’s friends joined in the attack, but “only threw a few punches”.

He described one of them as tall, bald and wearing a pink shirt.

The other was “a bit shorter” and wearing pink shorts.

Mr Eldred, an insurance worker, said: “When I saw them hit Leesha, obviously I saw red and lost my temper.

“I ran over and he punched me while the group was laying into our friend.”

The attackers ran away to get on a train but it was stopped so they could be found by police.

They were identified by Mrs Sheeran-Eldred and arrested but later released.

The couple, who will celebrate their one-year wedding anniversary next month, were taken to Eastbourne District General hospital by police where they were treated and given stitches.

However, Mrs Sheeran-Eldred required specialist attention and she was referred to East Grinstead’s Queen Victoria for her injuries.

She said the attack had shredded her confidence, adding that she is now scared to leave her house.

She said: “I’m very sore, I can’t even speak properly.

“I don’t know how long I’ve got to go without my teeth – the stitches have to be in for four to six weeks.

“I might have to have dentures put in.”

She said she was left in disbelief at the encounter and she is now facing an “astronomical” dental bill.

She said: “The man just kept squaring up to me so I had to keep pushing him away.

“I can’t even remember the punch, I just remember two teeth in my hand and me and Max were just covered in blood.”

Doctors have said she may also need bone graft surgery to repair the damage to her jaw.

Police arrested a 24-year-old man on suspicion of assault. He has been released under investigation.

Witnesses should call police on 101.