A 42-year-old man was stabbed in the head with a screwdriver by a teenager outside his home after asking a group of youths to be quiet.

Philip Allen's scalp was gouged by one of the youths - believed to be in his late teens - who was riding a stolen motorbike in Saltings Road, Snodland, near Rochester.

As Mr Allen bled heavily from the wound, a gang of about six youths beat him to the ground and kicked him in the head.

Mr Allen, who had recently moved to Snodland from north Kent, suffered a 2cm long gash in his head and severe bruising to his face and jaw.

The incident, on Tuesday, started when Mr Allen and his wife, Debbie, left their house to remonstrate with the motorcyclist. He said: "I went towards them and asked what was happening. I yelled to the motorcyclist to stop. He came past me twice and then started to slow down.

"When he stopped the bike he flew at me. We grappled with each other but he must have had a screwdriver on him because he got it out and gouged at my head. Very quickly the gang started on me. They got me to the ground and waded in with blows and kicks."

Mr Allen was taken to hospital by ambulance where he received seven stitches for the screwdriver wound.

Police are now hunting the youths and are investigating the theft of the motorbike and arson, all on the same night. The motorbike had been stolen earlier that day and residents heard it racing up and down Saltings Road from 2.30pm on Monday until the time of the stabbing. After the attack on Mr Allen, the bike was torched.

Anyone with information about the attack or the identity of the youths is asked to contact police on 01622 608182.