A painter and decorator has spoken of his shock after finding himself caught up in a baseball bat attack in Dewsbury town centre.

Justin Littlewood, 26, was in a car driven by his partner Sophie when they stumbled across the attack.

The couple, who have a dash-mounted video camera in their Vauxhall Corsa, came to a halt in Northgate after a car in front suddenly pulled up.

The stunned couple watched as a man jumped out of a red car and ran across the road to a black car parked up opposite.

The furious man opened the door and dragged the driver out of the car.

As the two men squared up in the road a woman leapt out of the red car, brandishing a baseball bat.

Dash cam from Northgate, Dewsbury

The woman chased the other driver waving the bat above her head.

Justin told the Examiner how he leapt out and stood between the woman and the other driver, forcing her to give up the chase and run back to the car.

The man then kicked the car door back on its hinges and repeatedly kicked out at the bodywork.

The man and the woman then returned to the car. On the way, the man – wearing shorts and a white T-shirt – then appears to notice the dash cam and shouts abuse in Justin’s direction.

Justin and Sophie were just driving through Dewsbury at noon on Wednesday when they came round a corner and found cars stopped in front of them.

Dash cam from Northgate, Dewsbury

Justin said he just got out of the car through instinct, forcing the woman with the bat to stop the chase.

“She had come charging out of the car with the bat but I stood in the way and she just stopped,” he said.

“As she went back she was screaming: ‘Nick the car, take it!’ but then they got in and drove off.”

Justin later realised he knew the family with the black car and said the matter was being reported to police.