A daughter has urged a man who brutally attacked her father to hand himself in following a “disgusting” assault.

Alfred Irons, an 87-year-old grandfather, was returning to Roydon after a regular trip to his wife’s grave in Chingford Mount Cemetery when he stopped for traffic lights in St Leonard’s Road, Nazeing, at 1.30pm on Saturday (September 24).

His daughter Julie Irons, 45, said he had overtaken an “erratic” van driver in the Crooked Mile shortly before.

She said: “This guy apparently came from behind and opened my Dad’s car door, grabbed his arm, dug his nails right in – pierced the skin – punched him in the face a couple of times, took his keys out of the ignition and launched them across the other side of the road.”

Mr Irons was left bleeding and shocked in his car with no way to drive off as strangers stopped to help him at the crossroads.

“He was totally dazed, he said he was on holiday with his two sons but both my brothers are dead,” said Ms Irons.

The Good Samaritans helped find his keys after searching for almost 45 minutes and returned him to Roydon, where he lives with his daughter since his wife of almost 60 years died last year

They had previously lived in Waltham Abbey and Chingford.

The trip to the cemetery was the only one Mr Irons made alone, with his daughter driving him everywhere else.

“My Dad said ‘I didn’t do anything wrong, I didn’t do anything wrong’, but it doesn’t matter if he did,” said Ms Irons.

“The fact this guy has opened the door and attacked him, it’s disgusting, it really has shaken him up.

“Whether he’ll have the confidence to be able to go out in the car again I don’t know.

“I feel like this guy has stripped him of the right for him to drive off to Chingford and speak to my Mum, which he always does.”

Photos of Mr Irons’ injuries to face and arms have been shared thousands of times after his daughter appealed to find the attacker.

The suspect in the apparent road rage incident is described as white, aged in his late 60s to 70s, slim and with grey hair.

He wore a pale green polo neck top.

Ms Irons directly addressed the attacker, saying: “Please hand yourself in.

“How can you feel that you have the right to do something like that to another human being, to an elderly man, and then leave him alone with no keys?

“It’s disgusting.”

Anyone with information should contact PC Sophie Bacon at Loughton Police Station on 101.

People can also give information to the independent crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via an anonymous online form at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.