A new dad says he is now unable to work after his leg was broken trying to stop a homeless man being savagely beaten with a brick in an alleyway.

The have-a-go hero, who lives in Baldock and does not wish to be named, says he was walking near King George Surgery in Stevenage Old Town when he heard shouts from an alleyway.

He said: “I sped up, walked down there and saw a guy on the floor being attacked by two other guys. I saw him get hit twice on the head with a brick, so I shouted and charged at them.”

His fiancée explained how the attackers turned their attention to her partner. She said: “He was attacked and hit forcibly with the brick, which injured one leg. This caused him to fall badly, resulting in a broken leg in three places, as well as significant ligament damage.”

The good Samaritan said the attackers fled and he flagged down a passing police car.

He said: “The man was bleeding from his head. It was a savage attack. I could hear the hollow thud of the brick hitting his head. I reckon if they had hit him one more time they would have killed him. He was being hit really hard.

“I think it started because the homeless guy asked if they had any spare change.”

Both men were taken to hospital following the attack and later discharged.

The good Samaritan’s fiancée said: “The man who was attacked sustained head injuries, but his life was saved by my fiancé. A charity is working hard to help him now he is out of hospital.”

Her fiancé says he must wear a brace on his injured leg and not bear weight on it for at least six weeks, but doctors have warned he may need surgery.

As a self-employed construction worker, he cannot work for the foreseeable future and has no money coming in. His fiancée is currently on maternity leave with their first child. She said: “We have a new baby and he works so hard to provide for our family and is devastated our dreams of getting married and buying a family home are now on hold indefinitely, with no income coming in. We don’t know what the future looks like for us.

“He’s always been our hero and we’re so proud of him for saving this man’s life.”

The incident took place at about 10.15pm on July 4. A Herts police spokesman said: “A 26-year-old man from Luton was arrested on suspicion of ABH and common assault. He was later released with no further action and enquiries are continuing.”