A MAN has told how he nearly lost an eye after an airgun pellet hit him in the face.

Thomas Holden was struck under his right eye by the pellet, which had to be removed during surgery.

He will be left with an eight-millimetre scar.

The 25-year-old was walking along Clayton Street, Great Harwood, with his brother when he fell to his knees in pain.

"I just dropped to the ground, holding my head," he said.

"My brother thought I had tripped then I looked at him and he saw all the blood. He looked at the side of my face and there was a hole.

"It was just unreal."

Writhing with agony, Thomas told his brother to look round the back of the street where he had earlier seen a group of three or four youngsters, aged around 10, playing with an airgun.

"I think they were shooting at cans and bottles when I saw them so it could have just ricocheted off something and hit me. I'm almost sure it wasn't deliberate."

Thomas, of Tennyson Place, Great Harwood, had to undergo an operation to remove the pellet at Blackburn Royal Infirmary after the incident, which happened at 1.45pm on Tuesday last week .

Yesterday he returned to hospital to have his stitches out, and will have to see an eye specialist.

"I still have no feeling in my nose because it hit a couple of nerves and keep getting blurred vision.

"They removed the pellet and tried to fix my nerves.

"I'm going to be scarred for life and I'm unhappy about that.

"I nearly lost my eye and could have been killed.

"The doctor said if it had been half an inch higher it would have been through my eye and into my brain.

"I could have died. He says I'm very lucky".

Sgt Dave Reddin, of Great Harwood Police, said: "It's quite a large wound. If it had been a little higher he would probably have lost his eye."

And he issued this warning to parents: "Do you know what your children are up to and have any of them got possession of dangerous air weapons?"