AN Ipswich publican today spoke of his terror after a frenzied attack at the hands of knife-wielding customer.A man lunged at the landlord of the Orwell Mariner pub in Vernon Street with a large kitchen knife said to be "more than a foot long".

AN Ipswich publican today spoke of his terror after a frenzied attack at the hands of knife-wielding customer.

A man lunged at the landlord of the Orwell Mariner pub in Vernon Street with a large kitchen knife said to be "more than a foot long". He brandished the weapon after he was ejected last night.

The attacker smashed a three-inch hole in the door of the pub during the 10-minute terrifying ordeal as horrified customers looked on. The man also inflicted more damage to the back door of the pub.

The 52-year-old victim, who declined to be named, said that the ordeal, which began at around closing time at 11pm, had left him shaken, saying: "Pubs don't need this."

"He came in – I had banned about six months ago so I asked him to leave. I told him to clear off and I got him outside with the help of my brother and all of a sudden the window went. He had smashed the window with the butt of the knife. My customers were frightened out of their lives.

"I went outside with my brother and he took out the knife. I don't know where it came from but it was so big. It must have been more than a foot long. It was like a very large chef's knife.

"He went for me and my brother – all I could see was that blade going into me or my brother. He stormed off and then all of a sudden he was at the back door trying to kick it in. He then went off up Vernon Street and he was going mental, kicking at everything in sight. You could hear the fences rattling.

"Someone called the police. They were very good and arrived very quickly. I gave them a description and they searched for him but they couldn't find him. Then he just came back and they arrested him. But he didn't have the knife – I don't think they've [the police] found it yet. The blade must have been about 8 inches long."

A police spokeswoman said that officers arrested a 27-year-old man at the Co-op next door to the pub on suspicion of possession of a knife. He was detained overnight. Officers were expected to question him today.