A TEN-year-old boy fought off a drunken attacker on his doorstep as he returned home from primary school.

David - not his real name so as to protect his identity - was terrified as a man, believed to be in his 20s or 30s, hit him several times.

But the youngster had his wits about him and stamped on the man's foot before rushing into the house and slamming the door in his face.

Police investigating the incident in Taunton's Winchester Street are trawling through CCTV footage in a bid to track down the culprit.

David said: "The man appeared from nowhere from behind and hit me on the head and back.

"He was swearing, calling me names and saying, 'Let me into your house'.

"He punched me on the arm and chest. He was aggressive and I was frightened.

"I noticed he was wearing Sliders - (similar to flip flops) - so I stamped on his foot. It made him jump and I ran indoors and slammed the door. I might have hit him with the door.

"He was shouting at the window for a minute. I didn't look because I was so scared.

"I waited till I couldn't hear him any more, then rang my mum."

David says he is too scared to go outside on his own following the incident and whenever he is in the street he keeps turning round to check his attacker isn't following him.

He said his assailant had dark hair and a short greying beard and was wearing Sliders and a dark red T shirt.

His mother said: "I'm so proud of my son. He did amazing.

"I talked to him over the phone to calm him down and then rang the police.

"Two officers and a PCSO have been to see him and were fantastic.

"But I'm extremely angry at the man. Everybody, particularly a child, should be able to walk the streets safely.

"There's a lot of anti-social behaviour around Taunton now. It's getting worse and it's having an impact."

An Avon and Somerset Police spokesman confirmed the assault on David in Winchester Street at around 3.40pm on Wednesday, November 7.

He said: "A man attempted to gain entry into the property before hitting the boy.

"House to house enquiries have been carried out and we're reviewing CCTV as part of our enquiries.

"The family are being kept informed, but we'd appeal for anyone in the area at the time who saw anyone acting suspiciously to call 101 providing reference number 5218248456."