Beaten black and blue

Keith Mills, who has four fractures to his skull and horrific bruising and cuts to his body, said: "The medics told me they normally find these kind of injuries on corpses and I am lucky to be alive."

Mr Mills' wife, Angie, said their ordeal started when a lit firework was posted through the letterbox of their Lancing home on Saturday evening.

She said her husband had been in bed, because he was feeling unwell, when the firework exploded in their hallway.

He decided to get up and go outside, to see who had done it, while Mrs Mills cleared up the mess. Mrs Mills said her husband had been gone for two hours before she became concerned, but she thought that he was chatting to friends. Eventually, she left the house and went looking for him.

"I saw Beach Green absolutely crawling with police," she said. She went to ask officers what had happened and was told a "body" had been found on the green.

"My heart was in my mouth and as soon as I gave a description of what Keith was wearing, officers rushed me to Worthing Hospital where I found him being treated for the attack.

"All Keith can remember is running to the Green, calling out to them and going up near the Mermaid Cafe. He remembers going down the bank, he remembers shouting at them and then his memory is blank." He had been kicked and punched to the ground.

She added that surgeons at Worthing Hospital thought his liver had been perforated in the attack.

Mr Mills is now recovering at home. Mrs Mills said her husband's necklace and watch were stolen during the attack.

Mrs Mills was elected council chairman in June and has been a Conservative councillor in Manor ward since 1999. She was vice-chairman last year.

Four teenage boys have been arrested and bailed until Monday. Enquiries into the incident are continuing. Police are appealing for witnesses to contact Detective Constable Colin O'Hare on 0845 6070999.