A MAN who was allegedly punched and kicked in the street in a late-night assault in Newport has issued an appeal to track down his attackers.

Dan Jones, of Llwyn Deri Close in Bassaleg, Newport, was riding home on his motorbike from a meal with friends in Newport city centre on Saturday when he said a group of youths jumped out in front of him in the road in Queensway

The incident reminded Mr Jones of a crash he had been involved in around two to three months previously and caused him to swerve.

The 26-year-old said he was “shook up” by the incident and pulled over to buy a drink from a convenience store.

But before he could enter the shop, he said the group approached him.

Mr Jones said he asked why they jumped out in the road, before he was assaulted at around 11pm.

“One of them came over and started punching me in the head,” said Mr Jones, who works as a production worker at Mollertech, based in Cwmfelinfach, Newport.

“They punched me and dragged me to the ground and then kicked me two or three times.

“It was lucky I was wearing my spine protector or it could have been a lot worse.”

He says he was punched around a dozen times, before being “thrown” to the ground where he was kicked two to three times.

Mr Jones, who has had to take time off work, was taken to the Royal Gwent Hospital the next day where doctors said he had suffered concussion, cuts to his lips, swelling to the right side of his face and a lump on the side of his head.

He is now appealing for anyone who witnessed the attack to come forward.

"You should not have to be in fear of things like this happening," Mr Jones added.

"I used to work in Newport and I never had any problems but I think it has got worse over the years."

Gwent police is appealing for information about the identity of a suspect.

A spokeswoman for the force said: "At approximately 11.15pm on Saturday, September 30, we received a report of an alleged assault on a 26-year-old man near the bus station in Newport.

"The victim had been travelling down Queensway on his moped when a group of people allegedly stepped out into the road causing the victim to swerve.

"There was a verbal altercation before the victim was assaulted.

"The suspect is described as being a mixed race man in his late twenties, with short dark hair and wearing a red and white coat.

"Anyone with any information about the identity of the suspect is asked to call us on 101 quoting log number 575 30/9/17."