The friends of a man from Dartford are fundraising after an assault in the town centre left him missing his teeth.

Liam Heather, 25, of Elmwood Drive in Bexley Village was assaulted on January 28 on Overy Street in Dartford.

He sustained facial injuries including a broken eye socket, broken nose and a broken jaw. Liam also lost and damaged a number of his teeth.

Liam said he was hit from the side and feel face first into the pavement.

The work needed for Liam’s teeth is not covered by the NHS and replacement teeth will cost around £6,000, according to a recent consultation.

Friends of Liam had the idea to start a crowdfunding page to raise the money to buy Liam new teeth and help remove the stress of the ordeal.

Liam said: “I didn’t know that they were doing this beforehand. I’m overwhelmed with the response, I don’t expect people to give away their hard earned money.

“I am genuinely touched by the response. I don't want to sound cliched, but I am so appreciative. I can't thank them enough.”

So far 60 people have raised over £2,400 towards six grand total.

A close friend of Liam’s who helped to organise the fundraising said he wanted to help him get his confidence back as he wasn’t leaving the house.

He said: “We put £6,000 as the total but we only expected about £500 to be raised just from our group.

“Now, it’s gone round my work and there are people who don’t even know Liam donating to help. We are grateful to everyone, we just want to get Liam back to winning ways and to get his confidence back.

"He was so outgoing before this, its amazing to see how much people care. We wanted to do what we could to help, the last thing he needs after everything that has happened is a £6,000 bill and more stress.”

Liam said that enquiries are ongoing into his assault, but he wants to put it behind him and move on.

“I have seen the specialist, I just haven’t felt comfortable. I want to get this done as soon as possible to get my life back."

To view the justgiving page visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/liamsteeth