THUGS from Dursley are said to have been involved in a vicious assault on a shopkeeper which saw him beaten with crowbars and hit with a car after he tried to defend a Polish boy from a gang attack.

Amo Singh was attacked outside his shop, Premier Stores in Cashes Green, on March 26 after he came to the aid of a 15-year-old boy who was being beaten by a gang that arrived in two cars.

When he saw the teenager being assaulted, he grabbed a baseball bat and went outside to try to protect the boy, but the gang then turned on him.

The attackers hit the 33-year-old shopkeeper with crowbars, drove into him at full speed, ran him over again as he lay defenceless on the ground, and then punched and kicked him, before they fled in the cars.

Amo's wife, Sandy, 33, said witnesses to the attack, including the Polish boy's girlfriend, told her the gang of six boys and two girls had come from Dursley. There have also been reports on social media that some of those involved live in the town.

CCTV footage of the sickening attack on the boy and Amo has been shared with the Gazette and can be viewed above. Please beware that some people may find it upsetting.

Sandy called the assault an "attempted murder" and said the attackers hurled racial abuse at Amo, a Sikh.

Amo survived and is now recovering at home. He suffered a head wound which needed stitches, bruises all over his body, and needed two metal plates for a broken wrist.

Around £13,000 has been raised for Amo by two fundraising accounts, with much of the money coming from the Polish community who have hailed him a hero for defending the boy.

However, police say the attack was not a race crime.

A Gloucestershire Police spokesman said: “We understand that the community have been shocked by the nature of these serious assaults.

"We are doing all we can to gather evidence and progress the case.

“However, while we cannot comment on specific lines of inquiry as it may hamper our investigation, we must stress that we believe those involved in this incident know each other and the motivation was not related to race or ethnicity.”

There have been no arrests so far.

The incident has made the news in Poland and there is a campaign there for the President of Krakow to invite Amo to the city to publicly thank him.

Dozens of cards and flowers have been sent to his home to wish him well.

Stroud district councillor for Cainscross, Rachel Curley, and Rodborough county councillor Brian Oosthuysen have organised a public meeting tomorrow, Thursday, to discuss the issue and reassure the community.

It takes place at the Cashes Green Community Centre, next door to Amo’s shop, at 7.30pm. Representatives from the police force have been invited to attend.

To donate to the fundraising accounts, visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/abo-singh and gofundme.com/amo-singh-stroud-antiracism