A PEDESTRIAN was clinging to life in an intensive care unit this afternoon after being beaten-up in a road rage attack in a Bolton town centre street.

Malcolm Steele, aged 52, was punched in the face after a row with a motorist on a side street - only yards away from Bolton Royal Infirmary.

Mr Steele, of Kendrew Road, Bolton, is thought to have suffered a heart attack after he was struck and banged his head on the pavement as he fell to the ground.

Several eye witnesses watched helpless as the attacker jumped back into his van and drove away leaving Mr Steele unconscious.

The injured man, who was comforted by other passers-by, was taken to Bolton Royal Infirmary before being transferred to the neuro surgical unit at Salford's Hope Hospital. In addition to the heart attack he is believed to have suffered a fractured skull. Mr Steele is on a ventilator in the intensive care unit. A spokesman at the hospital today described his condition as "critical."

The incident happened shortly after 4.15pm yesterday in Chorley Street near the junction with Dawson Lane.

Police patrols searched roads on the outskirts of Bolton town centre but the attacker managed to escape.

Mr Steele's brother Melvin, aged 51, said: "Malcolm is a very quiet man he is not aggressive at all. I just can't believe this has happened."

He said he believed his brother was walking to Bolton Royal Infirmary to collect a special pair of shoes made because he is flat-footed. Mr Steele is a bachelor and shares a rented home with his brother.

The man leading the police hunt described the attack as "totally motiveless."

Det Insp Michael Lay said: "It appears Mr Steele was walking innocently along the pavement when two men jumped out of a van alongside him. One of them then attacked him totally without warning."

Witnesses are urged to contact Bolton CID, tel: 0161 872 5050

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