A bin man badly beaten in an attack has said he is lucky to be alive, but still fears for his safety.

The 42-year-old suffered swelling to the right side of his face, bruising along his jaw and a bump on top of his head after men assaulted him with a metal bar and a dog chain in Lyndhurst Road, Highams Park, last Friday.

But the refuse truck driver said it could have been so much worse.

He spoke to the Guardian using the pseudonym Julian because he fears his attackers want to target him again.

The Kier employee said: “I’m just glad to be alive. They want me dead. I’m a family man and I’m really concerned that these people may try and find me, they want to take it further.”

Three people have been arrested after the attack at 8.30pm, but have been released on bail until May 17.

Julian said he was edging past a double parked car when a young man came out of a house, demanding to know if Julian had scratched the vehicle – which Julian said he had not.

But after he opened the truck door to call over to the man, who was then harassing his co-worker, the man jumped inside and began beating him.

Julian said: “He started unloading with a barrage of punches on my head. I was struggling to block him and I got a punch to the jaw.

“Another man ran round the front of my truck with a metal bar in his hand. I was mortified.”

The 24-year-old with the bar began smashing the truck, before trying to beat Julian with it through an open window, as the bin man was fending off the first attacker.

Suddenly there were up to 14 people outside, all hurling abuse at him.

He said: “They came out of the house like hornets out of their nest. It was like the beginning of a riot.”

Julian’s two co-workers were running away from the assault, too scared to help him, and the second attacker managed to open another door and hit Julian on the head with the bar, while two women also threw punches at him.

But he managed to throw off the first attacker and shut the door, before the man returned with a dog chain wrapped around his fist.

Julian tried to drive off, but the second attacker grabbed hold of the steering wheel and the truck careened into a row of cars.

A girl believed to be 17 years old was caught between the cars and was taken to Whipps Cross Hospital with a broken pelvis.

However, the bin man said in the chaos of the scene he did not realise what had happened, and drove down the road to provide cover for his colleagues, whom by now were being chased by some of the men.

One of them had alerted police, who turned up with four squad cars as well as ambulances and fire engines, and arrested a 29-year-old on suspicion of actual bodily harm and affray, a 24-year-old man on suspicion of aggressive bodily harm, affray and possession of an offensive weapon.

They also arrested a 19-year-old girl on suspicion of affray.