Hunting supporter Stephen Mockford has told how his head was smashed by police batons during a protest.

He went to London to stage a peaceful protest but ended up with blood pouring down his face as protesters clashed with police outside Parliament.

The 32-year-old landscape gardener from Lewes is still in shock after being left needing 11 stitches and with a T-shirt soaked in blood.

Mr Mockford went to the pro-hunting rally in Parliament Square on Wednesday with his father, Donald Mockford, 52.

The pair found themselves at the front of the 10,000-strong crowd.

Mr Mockford, who follows the Chiddingfold, Leconfield and Cowdray Hunt, said: "It was a bit of a confrontational situation. there was a lot of people there and a police barrier across the road.

"They were determined no one was going to get across that barrier.

"There were a lot of frustrated and angry people there. Now and again there were surges from the people behind you pushing towards this barrier.

"I tried to stay near the back so I wasn't going to get near the front but somehow I had an almighty shove from behind, then all hell broke loose.

"The whole crowd went forward and the police were just panicking and smashing anyone's head they could find.

"I was hung up on the barrier at the front. They were screaming at me to get back but with so many people behind you, how can you get back?

"In the end they actually stopped, they could see the blood pouring down my head.

"You can feel it pouring down your head and obviously my shirt was soaked in blood. We couldn't do anything."

Donald Mockford saw his son being hit but could do nothing as he was pushed to the ground and found three or four people on top of him.

He told The Argus: "It was very frightening. There was nothing we could do. We had to go forward. If you didn't you could get trampled to death.

"I did go down at one point. In order to get up I had to find a placard on the ground to use as a shield against the batons.

"They were raining down on the crowd. It was like heading towards the blades of a helicopter."

When he finally came up he found his son covered in blood.

Still reeling from the events, the softly-spoken father said: "There was so much blood. His shirt and T-shirt were soaked.

"This wasn't just one hit with the baton. They hit him repeatedly.

"I could see Stephen putting up his hands but the police were still hitting him, on his head and on his hands. I dragged him back from the front.

"When the crowd saw the blood they let us through."

Donald Mockford, a pest control officer, left his son on the pavement and went to find paramedics.

He said: "There were so many head injuries Stephen had to wait while they filled up the ambulance with other people."

They were taken to St Thomas' Hospital where Stephen had the four-inch wound to his scalp stitched.

However, he said the injury would not stop him protesting.

He said: "It's not going to put me off - I'll always be pro-hunting.

"I believe in it very strongly. I just wanted to go to London, make a peaceful demonstration, come back and go to work today.

"Instead I've got a four-inch gash, a laceration across the top and 11 stitches."

He said they had been on several Countryside Alliance demonstrations in London before and all had been peaceful.