Butcher Dave Johnstone was ignored for three days by police after suffering horrific injuries at the hands of a drunken thug.

The 54-year-old from Brighton, nursing black eyes and 30 stitches in his face, had no contact from officers until last night - when The Argus stepped in.

Mr Johnstone said: "It made me want to take the law into my own hands and become some sort of Charles Bronson in the film Death Wish - I thought there was nothing left but for me to get revenge.

"I'm bitter and angry."

Police last night put their hands up and admitted: "We got it wrong and we apologise unreservedly."

Mr Johnstone was opening his shop in Leybourne Road at 5.30am on Saturday when the drunk climbed into the shop van parked outside and started the engine.

Mr Johnstone snatched the keys out of the ignition and went to take keys from his second vehicle just in case.

"All the time he was swearing at me. I told him to go home and sleep it off and the next thing I knew he clobbered me with his fist."

The attacker, in his mid 20s, screamed "bleed you f****** b******" as Mr Johnstone curled up on the pavement to protect himself from further blows.

Mr Johnstone said: "He must have been wearing a ring on the fist he hit me with. When I got up I was covered in blood." Mr Johnstone wrapped his white butcher's coat round his head to stem the flow and he was taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton.

He was later transferred to the Eastbourne District General Hospital where facial injury specialists stitched his wounds.

He was lucky not to lose an eye.

Mr Johnstone was seen by police at the Brighton hospital later on Saturday. He said: "The officer wanted my clothes in case the attacker's DNA was on any of them.

"He told me they needed a photograph of my injuries and a statement from me as soon as possible - but that's the last I heard. I telephoned them on Sunday and Monday but still I've heard nothing.

"I've even been given the name of the attacker by two people and wanted to pass it on to police. I felt like getting hold of a lump of wood and bashing the bloke myself to get justice.

"My wife and daughter were very upset and I'm livid."

To add insult to injury, his manager was invited to the Hollingbury police station at the weekend to view mug shots of suspects and was kept waiting two hours.

No one responded to his calls on an internal phone and, in the end, he gave up and walked out.

The Argus last night contacted Brighton and Hove police and a senior officer immediately called Mr Johnstone to apologise. Inspector Steve Curry said: "I have spoken to Mr Johnstone and apologised unreservedly. This was a very serious assault and we have identified a number of issues we did not get right. We are, as I speak, putting them right."