OUTRAGED councillors have slammed a racist attack amid fears of “escalating” crime.

A 64-year-old man was set up by two youths last month when walking alone from The Teal Arms, in Ingleby Barwick.

He suffered a broken eye socket, a fractured jawbone as well as bruising and swelling on his head and face in the early hours of April 22.

Cllr Ted Strike, ward member for Ingleby Barwick East, said he was shocked by the “very unsavoury” attack at Wednesday night’s Ingleby Barwick Town Council meeting.

He said: “He’s a man I’ve known for many years and it’s absolutely appalling – I don’t know when our new CCTV is going in at the Teal and these two youths might have been hanging around the Teal when they followed him.

“The sooner we can get that in the better.

"It is appalling, shocking and I don’t know what the town council can do about it – but it is totally unacceptable.”

The victim told police that as he walked he saw two youths, male, white and aged about 16 – wearing dark coloured hooded tops.

They shouted at him, and began to follow the victim down Lowfields Avenue – shouting racial abuse.

He was then physically attacked at the corner of The Pasture – and taken to hospital with his injuries.

Last year, the town council agreed to pump £1,000 into a new CCTV camera at Beckfields Shops to target anti-social thugs.

A new camera on Lowfields is due to be installed in the next few weeks.

Anyone with helpful information is urged to call police on 101 quoting incident reference 066864.