TWO police officers who were attacked by a suspected drink driver on a deserted road at night have been nominated for an award in recognition of their courage.

As reported in the Daily Echo, PC Charlotte Harvey and Sergeant Simon Kempton were punched and kicked after they stopped a motorist seen driving erratically on the A35 near Morden Park Corner in October.

The man, who was shaking, sweating and slurring his words, quickly turned violent. He forced his thumbs into Sgt Kempton's eyes and punched PC Harvey, who then had just a year of experience in the force.

He then ran into the road as a car approached. Sgt Kempton and PC Harvey dragged him off the carriageway seconds before the vehicle flashed past.

Sgt Kempton, who has served for 18 years, suffered injuries to his ribs and eyes. Both he and PC Harvey, who quickly returned to work after the attack, have now been nominated as part of the 23rd Police Bravery Awards.

A ceremony will take place in London next month.

The awards are held by the Police Federation of England and Wales to honour and recognise police officers who performed outstanding acts of bravery while on or off duty.

In an interview after the attack, Sgt Kempton said the officers had been unable to stop the man as he was driving along an unlit stretch of road with no pavements.

As they followed in an unmarked vehicle, the driver suddenly pulled onto a verge and got out of his car.

Sgt Kempton lightly took his elbow to move him away from the road, but the man shook him off and tried to walk back towards the carriageway again.

As Sgt Kempton took a stronger hold of his arm, the man suddenly became violent.

"I’ve got a duty of care to make sure that man isn’t badly injured or killed, even if he’s trying to hurt me," he said.

"After it happened, I had what I suppose you’d call flashbacks of being on my hands and knees in brambles and the car bearing down on him."

He said both he and PC Harvey had been given "fantastic" care by Dorset Police."

"The emergency buttons on our radios were on, which means other colleagues could hear it all, and so could everyone in the control room," he said.

"An incident like this really does affect us all."

Anna Harvey, chair of the Dorset Police Federation, said: "The bravery and professionalism shown by PC Harvey and Sgt Kempton went above and beyond the normal call of duty.

"They showed exceptional bravery, putting their own lives at risk to apprehend a violent member of the public while ensuring he did not come to any harm."

A 40-year-old Bristol man appeared at Weymouth Magistrates' Court in late October charged with two counts of assaulting a constable in the execution of their duty, one of failing to provide a specimen for analysis and one of driving while disqualified. He was jailed for four months, ordered to pay £300 in compensation and banned from driving for 36 months.