AN 80-year-old man was left with facial injuries after being attacked and robbed in his home.

Roy Fear, the former landlord of The Red Lion pub in Blaina, was at his home on Attlee Road, Coed Cae, Nantyglo at 11.30pm on Monday night when the incident happened.

Mr Fear was taken to Nevill Hall Hospital, Abergavenny by ambulance where he remained last night.

He is said to be in a stable condition.

Mr Fear’s step-granddaughter Jane Roberts and her husband, Tim, have been with him and Mr Roberts said the pensioner "is not doing well at all".

Police officers and forensic experts spent Tuesday and yesterday scouring Mr Fear’s house and garden for evidence, as they search for an instrument that was used in the attack.

Neighbour Barbara Hinton, 74, said the incident hit everyone in the area hard and left residents fearful.

She said: "We’ve had the shock of our lives and all feel vulnerable now.

"We’re all upset. You couldn’t meet a nicer man than Roy and we just hope he is okay."

Linda Curtis said: "It was a terrible thing to happen. Roy is no harm to anyone, very quiet, and he’s the last person that deserves something like that."

Vincent Seymour said: "Everyone is in shock", at the attack on the popular pensioner who was landlord of the Red Lion in the 1980s and also had a small holding in the area where he kept horses and chickens.

He has lived on Attlee Road for around 25 years and used to live there with his wife Joyce, who died a number of years ago.

* A 22-year-old man appeared at Caerphilly magistrates court yesterday charged with robbery, grievous bodily harm with intent and driving while over the drink/drive limit.