A 26-year-old man who got caught up in a shocking brawl in Holmfirth town centre has insisted he was the ‘good guy’ and is no thug.

The town which is famed for its gentle depiction of rural life in the TV hit Last of the Summer Wine showed its dark underbelly on Saturday night when a fight broke out in Norridge Bottom.

A 36-year-old man needed hospital treatment after being assaulted and suffering a fractured or dislocated jaw.

But the 26-year-old from Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, who has asked not to be identified for fear of reprisals by those involved, said far from being a “thug” as one national news website described him, he was in fact responsible for the victim not receiving even more serious injuries.

Video shot of the fracas begins by showing the 26-year-old on the ground.

Now he has given his account of what happened to the Examiner.

Scenes from large brawl in the centre of Holmfirth

He said: “I was out with a group of friends and my girlfriend and was enjoying having a few drinks when we heard a commotion.

“I saw this lad covered in blood who was being attacked by two other lads.

“I tried to act as a peacemaker and tried to break up the fight. He was lying on the floor having his head stamped on.

“I ran over and rugby-tackled one of these guys and got kicked in the head for my trouble and left on the ground.

“My girlfriend was sickened by it and was screaming at this lad to stop.

Scenes from large brawl in the centre of Holmfirth

“Police told me what I did was heroic, and the victim when I saw him later gave me a massive hug. Paramedics said I potentially saved his life as these other guys were jumping on his head.

“I have been in touch with the police and given a statement. I’ve also been checked out by medics and they say I am fine. All I was doing was trying to stop someone getting badly hurt and suffering serious brain injuries.”

The incident in Holmfirth was not the only one to mar the weekend. Two mass brawls broke out in Huddersfield town centre leading to calls for a crackdown on alcohol-related violence.

Chief Insp Jon Dunkerley, of Kirklees police, said: “Police in Kirklees take incidents of alcohol related disorder and anti-social behaviour extremely seriously and incidents such as those in Huddersfield and Holmfirth at the weekend, will not be tolerated.”