WITNESSES who saw two groups of men 'attacking each other with knives, sticks and hammers' are urged to come forward.

The street brawl took place in Bolton Road, Darwen, after a white Volkswagen Polo and a black Audi A4 rammed each other at around 11.30pm on Tuesday.

Police said groups of men got out of the cars and started attacking each other with knives, sticks and hammers.

Shortly afterwards, there was an attempted carjacking of a Mercedes A Class on the forecourt of the nearby Texaco garage by two men.

Detectives believe that this is linked to the previous incident on the road.

The abandoned Volkswagen was found on Huntington Drive after it had crashed into a wall and the Audi was found in Bolton Road.

DS Mark Holland said: “We are still piecing together exactly what happened and why, so we are asking anyone who has seen the vehicles or the fight in the street to come forward.

“We are especially keen to trace anyone at the Texaco who might have witnessed the carjacking or the fight as it was unfolding.

“We also would also like to speak to any residents who might have seen a group of men on the Melbourne or Sydney Street area."

Two men aged 27 and 33 from Darwen was arrested on suspicion of public order. The 33 year old was also arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon. They are both in police custody.