A 25-year-old man who was in a coma for five days mouthed "I love you" to his girlfriend when he finally regained consciousness.

Tears welled up in Julie Lee's eyes when she saw boyfriend Andy Burrows struggle to say his first sentence before the strain became too much and he had to be sedated.

Now the father-of-two is raring to return to the couple's home in Thorpe Edge to hug their two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Charley and six-month-old son Jack after his recovery.

Andy's ordeal began after he and three pals who play for the Springfield Youth Club football team went out to celebrate in the Queens Hall in Bradford's city centre after the first game of the season.

Later on a police officer found Andy in a distressed state outside the Freestyle & Firkin pub in Bradford city centre in the early hours of Friday, August 25.

He had suffered massive head injuries and internal bleeding and was taken to Bradford Royal Infirmary before being transferred to the intensive care unit at Leeds General Infirmary.

For five days Andy remained unconscious, able to breathe only with the assistance of a ventilator and unaware of Julie and his family's bedside vigils.

But just when they feared the worst, Andy came round, despite having suffered a fractured skull, a collapsed lung, a blood clot and doctors had to drill a hole into his head to relieve pressure on his brain.

Speaking from his bed in Bradford Royal Infirmary, Andy said: "I can't remember anything about the night after I left the Queens Hall.

"The next thing I remember was waking up and not knowing where I was and looking at this nurse sitting at the bottom of my bed.

"All the clothes I was wearing on the night had gone and I was in these NHS pyjamas instead! I looked up and I saw Julie and my mum but I don't remember what I said.

"The doctors said I did get a bit violent and lashed out a bit which was a reaction to the shock of being in a coma, but I can't remember that either.

"I feel all right in myself now but I do keep on getting bad headaches and I fall asleep really easily every two or three hours."

For Julie the sight of Andy opening his eyes was what she had been praying for ever since the police called her to say he had been hurt.

She said: "We honestly didn't think we'd ever speak to Andy again. As soon as he came round he mimed the words 'I Love You' to me - then I knew he would be all right.

"But he got very violent because of the shock and the doctors had to sedate him. It's amazing that he's practically back to normal when two weeks ago we didn't know if he'd ever walk or talk again."

Consultant orthopaedic surgeon Ernest Schilders, who treated Mr Burrows, said: "We are pleased Mr Burrows is making such a good recovery from what were severe injuries.

"It is a credit to the teams at BRI that have been involved in his treatment that he is now out of danger and continuing to improve."

A 25-year-old man from the Frizinghall area of Bradford had been charged in connection with the incident.