A MAN was today fighting for his life after suffering serious head injuries in an unprovoked street attack in Southampton.

The 28-year-old was struck around the head and knocked to the ground after telling a gang of four men to stop tampering with his car, parked in Henstead Road.

He was left unconscious on the pavement and taken to Southampton General Hospital where he is in intensive care in the neurological unit. His girlfriend was yesterday at his bedside.

Now police are appealing for any witnesses who saw the assault, at 2.30am on Sunday near The Bedford pub, to come forward.

"There must have been a lot of people around at the time after all the pubs and clubs in the area were closing," said DC Keith Bailey, one of the investigating officers.

"A lot of people would have been walking back to their homes or getting taxis.

"This is something we are treating very seriously.

"The victim has been left with life-threatening injuries in a completely unprovoked attack."

The suspects are described as two black and two white men.

They were seen walking towards Devonshire Road after the assault.

They are all described as aged between 20 and 25.

One of the black men was wearing a dark T-shirt and dark trousers. The second black man had a skinhead hair style and was wearing a light-coloured shirt with dark trousers.

Officers are carrying out house-to-house inquiries in the area in an attempt to piece together what happened.

They are also studying CCTV footage from cameras located in and around Henstead Road.

If you can help, call Bitterne CID on 0845 045 4545 or the anonymous Crimestoppers hotline on 0800 555 111.