A vulnerable man, badly beaten up in his own home, might have suffered permanent injuries in the apparently motiveless attack.

Rodney Gledhill, 64, was repeatedly hit in the face by two assailants in the porch of his home in the assault.

During the struggle Mr Gledhill suffered a severe slash wound to his left hand.

Detectives have revealed the weapon involved was a carving knife with a “substantial” blade.

Detective Inspector Ian Bryar, of Bradford South CID, said: “The knife has not been found and we would like to hear from anybody who has seen it, or has any knowledge of its whereabouts.”

Mr Gledhill was attacked at his home in St Margaret’s Avenue, Holme Wood, Bradford, where he lives alone, at about 7.15pm last Tuesday.

Det Insp Bryar, who is leading the investigation, said Mr Gledhill, who is detained at Bradford Royal Infirmary, had told officers two people who he did not know had come to his door and engaged him in conversation.

“He was then subjected to a totally-unprovoked assault, where he has been punched repeatedly in the face inside the doorway of his porch,” said Det Insp Bryar. “During the incident Mr Gledhill has suffered an injury from the knife.”

Mr Gledhill suffered a cut to the bone at the base of his fingers and tendons had been severed.

Det Insp Bryar said: “He is having exploratory surgery to assess the damage. He will need follow-up surgery and he may have suffered permanent damage.”

The detective said doctors were waiting for the swelling around Mr Gledhill’s eyes to go down before fully assessing those injuries, but it was hoped there was no long-term damage to them.

Det Insp Bryar said it was not clear why the victim had been attacked.

He said: “We have not yet established a motive and I appeal to anyone who can tell us why this happened, to come forward.”

Anyone with information can call police on 0845 6060606, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.