EIGHTEEN months after a man was left for dead following a savage beating, detectives have vowed the case will never be closed.

Darlington police say the mystery of who attacked Douglas Taylor is made more difficult to solve by the head injuries he sustained in the assault, which happened as he walked his dog near his home.

Mr Taylor, 38, a manager with Amec, spent two weeks in intensive care with severe head injuries after being found unconscious in a field by his father-in-law on March 12 last year.

His wife, Michelle, had called her father, Barry Franklin, when he failed to return after taking the dog for a walk.

Although he is now back at work, Mr Taylor still recalls very little of the night's events.

And, despite police interviewing a number of people in relation to the attack, Mr Taylor, from Yarm Road, who has a six-year-old son, has not been able to identify his assailant.

No witness has ever come forward regarding the attack, which saw him left for dead in a field next to the Hope Inn, on Yarm Road.

On two occasions, detectives went on to the streets on Friday evenings, between 9.30pm, the time he left his home with his dog, Scooby, and 10.15pm, when he was found.

Pedestrians were questioned about the attack but, again, the exercise proved fruitless.

Detective Sergeant Alec Francis, of Darlington police, who is leading the investigation, said the case is still very much open.

"The case will never be closed - that's one thing for certain, because of the serious nature of the offence," he said.

"Part of the problem is Mr Taylor's inability to identify the persons responsible."

Anyone with information about the attack is urged to contact Darlington police on (01325) 467681.