A PUB landlord was attacked and left with a badly broken leg after he asked a smoker to take her cigarette outside.

Colin Wells, the manager of the Cross Guns in Bolton Road, Westhoughton, approached the woman who had lit up inside the pub's porch at 11pm on Friday night.

He asked her to extinguish her cigarette and to smoke in the beer garden behind the pub.

But the woman refused and became abusive to the 59-year-old great-grandfather.

Mr Wells, who has run pubs in England and Spain, asked her again. But her boyfriend approached and pushed him back into the pub.

He fell but got back up, only to be knocked to the floor again, before the thug also pushed Mr Wells' wife, June, aged 58.

Regulars managed to remove the yob from the pub and Mr Wells carried on with his night's work, unaware how badly injured he was.

But the following morning he could not move his leg and he was horrified when he was told at the Royal Bolton Hospital that his leg was badly broken just below the knee cap and he would need to be in a full leg cast and brace for the next six weeks.

Mr Wells said: "I think it's absolutely disgusting. I was trying to explain to her why she couldn't smoke in the porch, especially as we have a huge smoking area at the back, and then her boyfriend waded in.

"It certainly has made me nervous - especially when a stranger walks into the bar because I just don't know how they'll react to me telling them they can't smoke inside.

"It will make me think twice about imposing the ban."

The incident happened just days after a drinker punched landlady Michelle Parkinson in the face, knocking her unconcious, at The Blue Boar in Deansgate, Bolton. Although the whole incident was caught on a CCTV camera, the 33-year-old attacker was only given a police caution, leaving Mrs Parkinson, aged 38, angry.

Mr Wells said he had had no problems until now with enforcing the no-smoking legislation, which was introduced on July 1.

Jim Powell, managing director of Timewell Taverns, which owns the Cross Guns, said: "It's not just my pubs I'm worried about - all licensees need protection. But so far, they have not had any help in enforcing this law." Supt David Flitcroft from Bolton police said: "Since the implementation of the smoking ban we have seen no significant increase in attacks on either licensees or people involved with the licensed trade.

"Generally licensees are working really constructively with the police and our partners to become ever more efficient in managing the conduct at the premises, thus leading to a reduction in all violence. At the moment it would be too early to say that the smoking ban has led to an increase in violent confrontation."

Witnesses to the Cross Guns attack should call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.