TWO men suffering ‘serious’ stab wounds flagged down an ambulance for help outside a town centre pub, police said.

A landlady described the scene as ‘pandemonium’ as emergency services descended on Accrington’s Abbey Street.


Both men suffered stab wounds to their legs and body.

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Police said the victims, both 26, were injured at an industrial estate in Haslingden before driving to Accrington and flagging down help at around 9pm on Monday.


Witnesses described seeing two men ‘covered in blood’ with one thought to have a six-inch gash to his leg.


Sue Stark, landlady of the nearby Swan pub, said: “Monday nights are quiet for us and I was nipping to the shop when I saw two lads flagging down a private ambulance.


“They must have called the paramedics and the police, it was pandemonium.


“It took about 15 minutes for the traffic police to come out.


“The CID were still there after I had closed up and gone to bed.”


Ivan Monk, 70, who owns the Antique Centre just off Abbey Street, was having a drink outside the pub when the emergency services arrived.


He said: “There were lots of police cars and the ambulance was there. There must have been about 10 police cars.


“I saw paramedics with a young lad at the side of a silver car. I think someone had tried to cut his legs then I saw him getting into the ambulance.


“I heard someone had tried to kill someone.


“You do not see something like that very often. It was bad.”


Another eyewitness said: “I was driving towards Tesco when I saw the ambulance and two men next to a silver people carrier.


“One of them looked like he had his trousers down and they were both covered in blood.


“One was taken into the ambulance and the other was leaning against the car.


“After I had been to the shop I drove past again and the police had arrived.
“It was a shocking thing to see.”


Mark Jackson, 43, landlord of the Arden Inn, said his colleague saw a grey car with the window smashed.


He said: “He saw one man with his leg on a railing and police were holding his leg together. Police were flying in all directions. They went down Abbey Street, spun round and came back up slowly like they were looking for someone.


“Apparently one of the men had a six or seven inch gash to his leg.


“There were three ambulances and six police cars and they blocked off part of the road near the garage.”


Resident Tony Little, 53, said: “It is a quiet area except for Friday nights when you get the odd drunken argument, but I have never seen anything aggressive around here.”


A police spokeswoman said: “We were called by the ambulance service shortly before 9pm on Monday following reports they had been flagged down on Abbey Street by two men who had suffered stab wounds to their legs and body.


“The two men were taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital for treatment. Their injuries are described as serious but not thought to be life-threatening.


“It is thought they may have come about their injuries at an industrial estate area in Haslingden before driving to Accrington where they were seen by the ambulance.


“Inquiries are on-going.”


An ambulance spokeswoman said they took two men with ‘slash wounds’ to Royal Blackburn Hospital. Anyone with information is urged to call police on 101.