A 17-year-old boy has been left with a shattered skull after being attacked in the street by a gang of girls wielding pieces of fencing.

At least one man is also thought to have been involved in the assault on Sam Morley in Hopbine Avenue, near Parkside Park, West Bowling, Bradford.

His skull was fractured in four places and he was left with internal bleeding behind his eyes in the late-night disturbance.

Detective Sergeant Ajaz Khan, of Bradford South CID, appealing for information, said: "It seems there has been a build up towards what happened and there may have been an incident earlier at Woodroyd Avenue which had repercussions in Hopbine Avenue. A young male was attacked with sticks. We have recovered wooden sticks from the scene. It looks like bits of fencing."

He appealed for information from anyone who saw what happened or heard shouts.

Sam's sister, Lisa Elwood, of nearby Clough Street, said: "I was so shocked when I heard. I got a phone call to say he had been badly beaten up.

"He is well known around here. He is a little character, but he keeps himself to himself. Nobody deserves what he has got.

"He has got four fractures to his skull and he has got bleeding behind his eyes. But I think he's going to be all right."

Sam, of Thirkhill Court, West Bowling, known as Little Sam to his friends, was taken to Bradford Royal Infirmary where he has been detained with serious injuries.

His friend Michael Coe, 17, of Defarge Court, West Bowling, said: "Sam is only a little lad. He was the smallest, quietest and funniest one out of the lot of us.

"To look at him, you would only think he was about 12 years old and about four stone. I can't believe this has happened to him."

Mr Coe, who was on the scene when the incident happened at about 10pm on Tuesday, said Sam was part of a group which was walking along the street.

He said members of his group were walking past a house when there was a confrontation with three teenage girls and two men.

Much of the street was cordoned off as scene of crime officers conducted a daylight search yesterday morning.

Lee Kavanagh, 17, a friend of Sam, said: "Sam is a top lad and we are shocked by what has happened, but he's a survivor. He will pull through.

"He has had a shocking year - he fell off his bike and knocked his teeth out, his dad died and now he has been beaten nearly to death."

Luke Ashley, 16, another of Sam's friends, said: "He seems to be the unlucky one. I hope he will be okay. We are going to go and visit him."

Sam, also nicknamed Manthra', is a former pupil at Ryan Middle School, in West Bowling, and Wyke Manor School.

Mohammed Javed, of Woodroyd Road, 200 metres from where the attack took place, said he heard a commotion in the run up to the incident. He said: "It was all quiet then a lot of noise erupted at about 10pm.

"It was such a loud noise - shouting, screaming and swearing. I don't know why it erupted like that - something must have caused it. I know a young boy called Sam got badly injured."

A mother-of-five, of Hopbine Avenue, who did not wish to be named, said: "My children saw the blood and they were very scared. They couldn't sleep because they couldn't get it out of their heads. It's not nice for anybody to see something like that.

"I could see the guy across the street lying there. He was screaming and he was obviously in pain. It's not fair on that lad. He looked about 15 and he kept saying My eye, my head.' I hope he is okay."

A spokesman for Bradford Royal Infirmary said Sam was in a stable condition last night.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Bradford South police helpdesk on (01274) 376459 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Three females, aged 18, 17 and 15, and a 43-year-old man have been arrested in connection with the incident.

e-mail: will.kilner@bradford.newsquest.co.uk