A CAR wash worker has described the moments he was punched and almost run over in a race hate attack.

Ary Aziz was alone at the ARC car wash on Park Road, Blackbrook when he was confronted by a man demanding a free car wash.

When the 37-year-old refused, the thug, who claimed to be a gangster, became aggressive and burst into the small office. Ary was grabbed around the neck before being punched.

Ary, who moved to this country from Iraq, told the Star: “He had said he wanted his car washing for free and I explained that this is a business. He then started swearing at me.

“I asked him to stop and he grabbed me by the neck and started squeezing hard. I couldn’t breathe.

“I managed to push him away and he said ‘do you know who I am?’. I asked him not to come back and he told me he was going to burn the car wash.

“He said ‘I’m a gangster. If you don’t like this country go back’. I asked him not to be racist and took out my phone to take a picture of his registration.

“Then he started punching me. He jumped into the car and tried to run me over. Two men saw what happened and ran across but he had driven away.”

Ary works seven days a week at the car wash from 8pm to 7pm.

He added: “I have been in this country for 14 years. I’m not in the job centre because I am working to provide for my family.

“I am a human being so why should I be treated differently because I am not white.”

He explained that he has also had problems from local youths some of who recently ransacked the car wash kicking over bottles of soap and breaking equipment.

He said that someone even scrawled the word ‘Paki’ on the advertising hoarding outside.

“They are aged between 15 and 17 and hide in bushes. Sometimes they will throw stones at me. I have had new staff here who didn’t want to come back because of the trouble. And I can’t give them a guarantee there won’t be any.”

Ary admitted that that attack has made him more anxious and frustrated: “I am more wary of going outside. Something like this makes you more nervous.

“I’m not scared but after all I need to work here.”

That attack happened on Friday, October 17, at 2.30pm. Witnesses are asked to call St Helens CID on 0151 777 6811 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.