After being supposedly attacked by Amy Winehouse’s dad last week, Pete Doherty was reported punched in the face by a stranger in his local pub on Sunday.

Pete was drinking at the Sun Inn in Marlborough, Wiltshire - where Pete is living as part of his probation terms - with friends when he was hit by the man.

Onlookers told the Mirror that the man, a local drug dealer, beat Pete to the ground as a sales tactic, telling him “You should get your gear from me”.

A witness added: “It was horrible. Pete was really shaken up and upset.”

Local police are investigating the incident which has been confirmed by Pete’s record label - although they denied it had anything to do with drugs.

In related news, an audience member took to the stage to stand in for Pete at a surprise Babyshambles gig at the NME Awards launch party in London last night.

An source from the gig at London’s Indigo2 told the Sun: “Babyshambles were the secret guests, but the act before them, The Wombats, were clearly covering because they were so late on.”

“Then half the band came on, and they were obviously struggling. The bass player had taken over on guitar, and they asked if anyone knew the songs.”

“One guy, Jamie, did - so he performed ‘Carry On Up The Morning’ from the new album Shotter’s Nation. He was quite good actually. He knew how to play it on guitar and he knew all the words. He got a good reaction from the crowd.”

“He saved the day to a certain extent, and afterwards he was whisked off backstage. Hopefully he was rewarded for his efforts.”