A MAN was fighting for his life today after suffering serious head injuries when he was attacked by two men with baseball bats.

Gerald John McCullion, 47, known to his friends as Scots Leo, was injured after he had spent the day celebrating his sister Rosemary Doyle's birthday.

Police say he was attacked following a dispute with two men on Morecambe Road, Blackburn, between 8.30pm and 8.40pm yesterday.

The men are believed to have escaped in a car after the attack, close to the junction with Lytham Road.

Mr McCullion, of Monmouth Road, Blackburn, was taken to the intensive care unit at Royal Preston Hospital, where his condition today was described as critical. His wife Martha was at his bedside.

Witnesses have told police that they saw Mr McCullion with either an axe or a hammer shortly before the attack and there are some reports that he was seen assaulting somebody else. Detectives today revealed that there were between 30 and 40 people in the area when the incident occurred. And they have appealed for witnesses.

Mr McCullion, whose daughter Sarah Jane is due to give birth to his grandchild on July 16, is a master carpenter who moved to Blackburn five years ago.

Sarah Jane said: "We still don't know exactly what happened. He is such a fun-loving man who is known by everyone. The doctors have told us he might not pull through."

One man has been arrested and was to be questioned today.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.