TWO "friends" terrified children and families at a Wrexham pub in a "horrific" beer garden fight.

Nathan Edwards, aged 30 and of Australia Street in Ponciau, appeared at Mold Crown Court on Thursday alongside Lewis Roberts, 29, of Gardden Road in Rhos.

They had both entered late guilty pleas to a count of affray, with the offence having taken place at The Grapes in Johnstown at the end of July 2020.

Oliver King, prosecuting, told the court that at the time the pub was one of the few in the area which could open when lockdown eased because it had a beer garden.

In a statement, landlady Deborah Davies described the pub as "family orientated" and "quiet."

She said on the day in question was one of the first she had been able to reopen and there were lots of families and children.

Shortly before 5pm, customers became aware that something was happening in the beer garden.

Ms Davies went out to put a stop to it, but the level of violence she saw was "such that she didn't feel safe approaching or intervening."

What she and the other terrified customers witnessed was Edwards pinning Roberts to the floor while appearing to smash a terracotta plant pot over his head, then pushing him through a wooden fence.

Edwards was seen landing on the other man before biting into his ear and shaking his head "like a dog."

Roberts then fought back and, when Edwards fell, "took his revenge" by kicking the man five or six times in the head.

The pair were described to a 999 operator as "going berserk" and didn't stop until they had no energy left.

Ms Davies said in a victim impact statement that the incident was the most horrific she'd ever seen and it left everyone locked inside the building until the police arrived.

She added some of the pub's regulars stopped visiting and people brought children less following the incident.

Police arrived at the scene within eight minutes and quickly tried to establish from Roberts what had happened, as Edwards was lying on the grass.

On bodycam footage seen by the court, officers noted a number of injuries he sustained, including missing part of his ear.

It was established from witnesses that the fight had occurred following an argument.

Andrew Green, defending Nathan Edwards, told the court: "He is sorry for what happened that day. "The sad aspect is that he regards Lewis Roberts as a good friend and he has apologised to him.

"They remain good friends."

Duncan Bould, defending Roberts, said: "When he is away from alcohol, he is a completely different person.

"He realises he has to draw a line under his drinking.

"Although he wasn't the instigator of this, he appreciates his involvement was clearly unlawful."

Judge David Hale told the pair: "I am sure as you hear the description of what you did, the horror of what happened is obvious to you.

"It was a really frightening piece of violence to anyone who saw it and you both got injured in the course of it.

"You both have a bad record for getting involved in drunken violence, but this was very serious and you have to go to prison for it, inevitably."

Judge Hale handed a two year custodial sentence to Edwards and a 21 month sentence to Roberts.

They were also both made subject to a criminal behaviour order preventing them from going back to the Grapes for five years.