Witnesses described how a night out at an Indian restaurant turned into a scene from the Wild West when a group of men attacked a restaurant owner.

Police were called shortly after 8.30pm to reports of a disturbance at the Shozna restaurant in Maidstone Road, Rochester.

Four men aged 24, 34, 53 and 54 were arrested on suspicion of affray, and four others aged 20, 27, 29 and 31 were issued with dispersal warnings by officers.

Restaurant owner Jamal Ahmed, 42, said he had asked the table of 22 men to leave - because they were creating a disturbance and had pushed a waiter - shortly before one of them punched him in the face.

Staff and customers rushed to his aid as he was kicked by several men on the ground, and a brawl ensued.

"They were being rowdy and I had children and families here," he said. "I asked them to leave.

"I said 'please, you don't have to pay. Can you please all of you leave?'

"Half of them left and half of them had an ego problem, and thought 'we'll take him down'.

"I took a blow to my face," he added. "He punched me big time."

"Luckily I know how to protect myself so I got on the floor straight away. I knew they were going to start kicking me."

He said the rest of the group - who had previously left - came back inside to fight.

"When you've got 22 guys knocking you down, what do you do? They came to hit me and they were kicking me for three to four minutes, one after the other."

Witnesses said the brawl lasted between five and ten minutes, before the men were pushed out of the restaurant and police were quickly on the scene.

Mr Ahmed went to hospital to check for fractures but suffered only bruising. However the fight put an end to the night at the restaurant and financially he estimates he has lost between £2,000 and £3,000 in potential takings.

Mr Ahmed - who is known locally as Jay and is well respected in the community - said he and everyone else at the award-winning restaurant will bounce back.

"I'm very lucky," he added. "A lot of people have sent me messages saying they're thinking about me."

Witness Glenn Moore, an accountant from Frindsbury, was among diners at the restaurant when the brawl broke out.

He later spoke to the Medway Messenger, adding: "I'm 40 years old and I've never seen anything like it in a nightclub, let alone a restaurant.

"There were tables being turned over, glasses being thrown. A lot of women and children were very frightened. It was just crazy. I think the owner was very shaken."

Another witness who did not want to be named, said: "It was mayhem. The owner was being attacked and the rest of the staff came out to defend him. They had pots and pans and all sorts. Some of the other customers got involved too.

"It was like something from the O.K. Corall," he added. "The place was wrecked."

Police say the arrested men have been released on bail, pending further inquiries, until Wednesday, September 23.