A couple told today of their horror at finding their two sons bloody and unconscious after a brutal attack in York.

James Wood, 18, suffered a fractured skull, cheekbone and nose in the attack that left him and his brother Gareth, 24, covered in blood.

Mervyn and Wendy Wood followed emergency services to the McDonald's car park at Clifton Moor after friends of the boys raised the alarm.

"James was just lying there," said Wendy.

"There was blood coming from everywhere - from his nose, his mouth and a gash on the back of his head.

"It was horrific - I wake up seeing it and I go to sleep seeing it."

The attack happened after the boys left the burger restaurant in the early hours of last Saturday and walked across the car park.

They heard heavy footsteps behind them and, as Gareth turned around, he was hit in the face and fell to the ground.

Gareth says he is now on the road to recovery, but James - who has been unable to eat since the attack - is still being treated at hospital.

Police believe that footage from CCTV cameras will yield the identity of whoever attacked the two young men, but are appealing for witnesses of the assault to come forward.

Detective Inspector Geoff Dodd, of York Police, said the assault may have been unprovoked, but it was possible that an altercation took place inside the restaurant.

He said: "The injury is clearly very serious and we are confident that with the co-operation of the McDonald's staff and witnesses, some of whom have come forward, we will be able to resolve this."

The man they are seeking is white and about 6ft tall and of stocky build. He has short, dark cropped hair and a goatee beard and was wearing a green checked shirt.

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