A 42-YEAR-OLD man was in a 'serious condition' last night after being stabbed in the leg.

The victim was airlifted to the Royal Preston Hospital, which has a major trauma centre, after receiving a wound to his upper thigh during the attack in Rylands Street (right).

Officers were called to the scene, in the Duke Bar area of the town, at around 10.10am.

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They found the man with the serious wound inside one of the properties.

An investigation was launched immediately and plain-clothed officers were making door-to-door inquiries yesterday morning.

Rylands Street from its junction with St Andrew's Street was blocked off to vehicles and pedestrians found themselves unable to walk between the street's junctions with Edmund Street and Briercliffe Road.

A 23-year-old man from Burnley was arrested on suspicion of section 18 wounding and was in police custody being questioned by officers.

Neighbours said they were shocked to hear of about the assault. One, who asked not to be named, said: "I came out of by house around 10am and there were police cars and everything. You could not move in the street, but we had no idea what was going on."

Another added: "It is quite scary that this has happened in our street.

"When we woke up in the morning, I took my daughter to the hairdressers and when we came back I saw the police and the ambulance.

"It was really shocking."

A police spokeswoman said: "Police were called at around 10.10am to a report that a man had been stabbed at an address in Rylands Street, Burnley.

"Officers attended and found a 42-year-old man with a stab wound to his leg.

"He was taken by air ambulance to Royal Preston Hospital where he remains in a serious condition."

Anyone body with information should call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.