A pub doorman feared he was going to be attacked by a drunken off-duty police officer attending a Christmas party, a court heard today.

Paul Owen, 26, said that Philip Upton, 29, of Suffolk Road, Westbury, became loud and aggressive after he and his colleagues from Wiltshire Police had been asked to leave a pub in Bath city centre.

Mr Owen, who is 6ft 5in, told jurors at Bristol Crown Court today (Tuesday) that Upton had to be held back by two of his friends otherwise he believed the Special Constable would have assaulted him.

Upton and colleague Pc Peter Lawson, 38, of Anzio Road, Devizes, are on trial accused of racially abusing Mr Owen's work colleague Antonio Leo.

It is alleged that Lawson called the olive-skinned Italian national a "Polish b*****d", while Upton called him a "foreign b*****d".

Lawson was so aggressive that he had to be put in a headlock and dragged from the Hall and Woodhouse bar and restaurant by Mr Leo.

The racial abuse is said to have happened while Lawson and Owen were at the Christmas party of Wiltshire Police's road's policing unit, of which they were both members.

Today Mr Owen told the court what he witnessed on the night of December 10, 2010 at the pub in Old King Street.

The doorman said he and Mr Leo had gone over to the group of police officers to ask them to leave because of their drunken and boisterous behaviour.

"They were drunk. Tony started speaking to them. They were standoffish and aggressive," Mr Owen said.

"We said 'you have to go'. It was explained to them that they would not be allowed to finish their drinks.

"Tony explained that if they didn't go Tony was going to make them leave. The tall, bald man said, 'You're not going to make me go anywhere. I'll take you out'.

"Within a few seconds of that the man rose from his seat with a pint glass in his hand and my immediate thought was that he was going to glass Tony. Tony took the pint glass out of his hand.

"Tony had him with his left arm over his shoulder."

Mr Owen said that Mr Leo had a thick Italian accent and often got told to "learn to speak English".

He added: "I overheard other members of the group saying that he needed to speak English.

"The tall, bald man did say, 'You need to learn to speak English, you Polish b*****d'."

Mr Owen, who had been a registered door supervisor for three months prior to the incident, said that as he followed his colleague outside as he removed Lawson from the pub, Upton started shouting.

"He was very loud. He said, 'I'm not having this', and tried to push towards me but was luckily held back by two members of the group," Mr Owen said.

"I think if he had not been held back he would have attacked me - 100 per cent.

"He did say that Tony needed to learn to speak English."

Lawson, of Anzio Road, Devizes, denies causing racially aggravated fear or provocation of violence.

Upton, of Suffolk Road, Westbury, denies causing racially aggravated harassment, alarm or distress.

The trial continues.