A LANDLADY has vowed to continue to run her business despite a vicious attack by a gang of four women.

Mandy Mallinson and her husband Leslie were beaten, punched and kicked during the assault outside the Armitage Arms pub in Milnsbridge.

But brave Mandy, 46, who has run the pub with husband Leslie, 53, since May last year is undeterred.

“I feel violated in a sense,’’ she said. “We have been trying to make this a nice pub and have been successful since we took over. We have been making a real go of it and had a lot of good parties at Christmas and New Year and lots of events here.

“We are not going to let them defeat us. There was no damage to the pub and we opened as usual the day after and will continue to do so.”

Mandy was beaten around the head and face by the four women during the attack late on Sunday night after husband Leslie had shouted last orders.

The women then turned upon him and, one heavily-built attacker wrestled him to the ground while the other women kicked and punched him about the head and body.

Leslie, a former long distance lorry driver, sustained fractured ribs and heavy swelling to his knee.

The incident happened around 11.30pm after Leslie had shouted last orders as normal and given the usual time for “drinking up”.

Four women who had been drinking in the bar with a man asked if there was going to be a “lock-in” and then asked for an ashtray – and when Mandy refused they started to walk outside with their glasses in their hands.

Mandy said she asked for the glasses, but the women objected and then started smashing them outside.

As Leslie started to phone the police one of the women grabbed hold of Mandy’s head and started banging it against a wall and when Leslie intervened he was set upon too.

Both Mandy and Leslie were taken to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary and later allowed home after treatment.

Mandy’s 16-year-old son, Reece Allert, was asleep upstairs in the pub during the incident.

Mandy added: “It was a completely unprovoked attack. We’ve never had any trouble before. I feel really angry, but am more wary of strangers now. We have had a lot of support from the local community which has made us determined to carry on.”

Tim O’Sullivan of Kirklees Intelligence Unit said: “This was a nasty and unprovoked attack on a couple going about their daily business. Someone must know who these four women are and I would urge anyone who does so to contact us.”

Phone police on 0845 6060606 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.