Dog walker kicked in the head after asking teen thugs 'not to damage tree'

A dog walker was kicked in the head after asking a gang of teenage thugs "not to damage a tree". A second man is reported to have been brutally attacked with a "sharp object" when the pair confronted the group in Romiley, Stockport, on Monday evening.

Greater Manchester Police has now apologised after officers failed to turn up after receiving reports of the vicious attack. Helen Pidd, The Guardian's North of England editor, witnessed the shocking incident and went to help the victims, one of whom was "on the floor being kicked by a gang of lads".

She later took to Twitter to criticise GMP for failing to send out officers in response to the attack. In a series of tweets on Wednesday morning, she said: "Just how violent does an attack need to be before @gmpolice send out an officer to investigate?

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On Monday night I heard screaming outside my house in Stockport. "Out of my window I could see a man on the floor being kicked by a gang of lads. I ran outside and saw two grown men bleeding.

"One had been attacked in the ear by a sharp object (in front of his wife and daughter, who was screaming); another had been kicked in the head. A group of teenage boys ran away.

"Some of them were wearing balaclavas. I asked what happened. The men, out walking their dogs, had asked the boys not to damage a nearby tree.

"The wife of one of the victims immediately phoned @gmpolice giving a full account as the lads were in eyeshot, shouting abuse down the street at us. The victims have videos and photos of the attackers.

"Not only did @gmpolice not arrive but they still haven’t been in contact with the victims to take witness statements or gather