A schoolboy on a day out as a break from his GCSE exams lost six months of memories after he was injured in a beach brawl involving up to 50 people.

Connor Wigham, from Iwade, travelled to Margate with a group of friends but ended up getting badly injured after fighting broke out.

His mum, Claire Wigham, said: “A group of kids, who were clearly looking for trouble, were going round aggravating anyone they could.

“About five of them started beating up one of my son’s friends and as he tried to pull them off they started on him.”

The 16-year-old was left with a swollen cheek, a possible cracked cheekbone, bruises and grazes on his head. He also needed stitches in his lip.

He was taken to the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford.

She added: "He remembered everything afterwards so spoke to police and then got the train back from Margate to Sittingbourne where I met him.

“I took him to Sittingbourne hospital where he needed stitches and was referred to William Harvey Hospital in Ashford where they checked him over.

“But when he woke up on Sunday he couldn’t walk or talk and didn’t know who I was.”

The devastated mum-of-two said Connor, a pupil at Westlands School, doesn’t remember the last five or six months or any of the exams he has just taken.

He was rushed to Medway Maritime Hospital by ambulance but doctors said they don’t know whether he’ll ever get his memory back.

Claire, a reflexologist, added: “They’re a really nice group of kids and he’s such a gentle soul – they don’t deserve this.

“He wants to go to sixth form at Westlands and really wants to be an engineer, but he said to me ‘I don’t remember anything about engineering’. It’s heartbreaking.

“It may come back but we don’t know. He’s now starting to retain new information slowly though.”

She is now appealing for anyone who may have witnessed the fight, which happened on on Saturday, May 27, to call the police.

"When he woke up the next day he couldn’t walk or talk and didn't know who I was" - Claire Wigham

“Someone must have seen it. In this day and age someone must have had a phone on,” the 41-year-old added.

If you witnessed the fight or have any information, call police on 101 with reference ZY/021701/17.

Dozens of youngsters were involved in the fight with beach goers watching as the air ambulance landed.

About 50 people were involved in what police called a "disturbance". Earlier reports of a stabbing were later discounted.

A police statement said: “Police were alerted at 5.05pm to reports of a disturbance on Margate beach involving about 50 young people.

“One teenage boy has been taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Officers are investigating the incident.”

Police said no arrests had been made and inquiries were continuing.