BARBER and would-be councillor Terry Smith has undergone facial surgery after being badly beaten up at his York salon.

Terry, of Heworth, said he had seen a specialist on Wednesday and been told to come in as an emergency to York Hospital yesterday to have repair work carried out on his broken nose.

He said beforehand that he would be given a general anaesthetic before doctors manipulated nasal bones to get them back into place.

He expected to have to remain in hospital for a day or two afterwards, and his salon, Classic Cutz, in Fourth Avenue, Tang Hall, would have to shut down again for some days.

"I cannot believe I am going to have to go through further pain and suffering," he said. "I need surgery, but I can't breathe properly through my nose. There could be further surgery later."

He quipped: "I'm going to look like the Elephant Man afterwards. I've found a big brown envelope and cut the eyes out to put it over my head!"

He said doctors had told him that another injury, a fractured cheekbone, was healing well.

The Press reported earlier this week how Terry, who stood for the Conservative party at Osbaldwick in last May's City of York Council elections, suffered a broken nose, a fractured cheekbone and a swollen eye during the attack by two men who had walked into the salon.

He said he was just finishing cutting someone's hair when he looked up to see the men walking in.

"I thought they were customers. One of them said a word - I can't remember what it was - and the next thing I knew I was chinned," he said.

"I was knocked unconscious and fell to the ground, and lay in a pool of blood until paramedics arrived. I think the attackers stamped on my head." He said he had no idea why he had been attacked.

North Yorkshire Police appealed for witnesses to the incident to phone them on 0845 60 60 247. A spokesman said both men were white and aged about 30, with cropped dark brown hair. One was about 5ft, 10ins tall, and was wearing a dark jacket and dark jeans. The other was about 6ft tall.