TWO men were left with horrific slash wounds after refusing to hand over their phones to two thugs.

The blood-soaked victims managed to flee the scene at Blackdown flats in North Road, Westcliff, and flag down a passing car.

A woman in the car then screamed for help from a passing dog walker, Ian Woolcott, who happened to be first aid trained.

He said: “I ran over and there were two guys standing there pouring blood, one had been slashed across his face and under his chin while the other had been slashed across his face twice. This man also had a puncture wound to his left bicep where he was losing alot of blood.”

The men told him how they had walked into the towerblock at about 11.15pm on Thursday and were approached by two robbers in the lobby.

The men demanded money - but when their victims refused they pulled out a carving knife and a smaller knife and began slashing.

Luckily, they managed to flee their attackers before they got help in North Road. Mr Woolcott said he had to apply pressure to the deep wound on the bicep of the injured man.

The other victim sat in the passenger seat of the woman’s car holding tissues to the cut to his face until the ambulance arrived.

He said: ”He’s going to have a nasty scar on his arm, that blade was a good inch across and it went straight into his bicep.

“Not only that but both of them got slashed down the cheek so they are going to have scars on their faces too.”