Totnes Mayor, Cllr Ben Piper, has been left battered and bruised after being brutally assaulted in the town centre on Sunday night.

Cllr Piper suffered a black-eye, twisted knee and severe bruises to his body following the attack by two men outside the Happy Apple store on the High Street at 9.30pm.

The mayor said he approached his assailants, both of whom he knew and who are believed to be in their 20s, about the loud music they were playing in the street.

In response they attacked him leaving him in shock and with injuries so painful he is using crutches.

Totnes Mayor Cllr Ben Piper
Totnes Mayor, Cllr Ben Piper (Contributed)

Speaking to the Totnes Times about the attack, Cllr Piper said: “I am in shock. I am trying to process what happened because I got bashed by two kids who I’ve known all their lives, and known their parents and grandparents.”

The assault on the mayor follows reports made last year of shop and bar staff working in “constant fear” due to the threatening and intimidating behaviour of a core group of drunks and druggies accused of terrorising the town centre.

Businesses at the top of the High Street were plagued by anti-social behaviour all summer, with drunk and stoned people hassling shoppers for money, shoplifting, and on two occasions even assaulting members of the public.

Events came to a head when several shops were forced to lock their doors after two “drunk” men barged into Sea Salt brandishing a 7ft flag pole, and demanding pants and money from the 21-year-old shop assistant.

Their pleas for more CCTV in the town followed similar calls from resident Chris Sherville, whose teenage son was hospitalised after being assaulted in a violent and unprovoked attack on the Plains last August.

Cllr Piper has renewed the calls for more spy cameras in the town to compensate for the lack of police on the beat.

He said: “Clearly in the time we live in there isn’t the police presence of days gone by and this problem means the town has to look at making sure the CCTV agenda is accelerated for safety across the town.”

The police were contacted for comment.