TWIN brothers and another young man involved in an early hours town centre melee in which a man was stabbed have gone to custody for a total of seven years.

Burnley Crown Court heard how the victim suffered a punctured lung and was in hospital for five days after he was knifed by Luke Pickering, 19.

Pickering's twin Ryan and Christopher McGuire, 20, had also racially abused the complainant and joined in the trouble..

Luke Pickering was sent to detention for four years while his brother and McGuire each received 18 months.

Sentencing the trio, Judge Barbara Watson said the fracas must have been frightening, not only for the victim but for witnesses.

She said the defendants had been fuelled by excessive alcohol, had behaved like louts and the courts would not tolerate such behaviour.

Luke Pickering, of Earnsdale Road, Darwen, admitted wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm. His twin, of the same address, pleaded guilty to affray, as did McGuire, of The Lord Raglan public house, Kings Road, Blackburn.

Hiranya Narayan, prosecuting, said the victim had been out with friends, left them in the early hours at a night club and went to a takeaway. As he stood outside, the defendants approached him and all three racially abused him.

A fight followed during which Luke Pickering stabbed the complainant. A witness reported how all three defendants "laid into" the victim.

For Luke Pickering, Martin Hackett said he used the knife in his employment as a warehouseman and had it with him to take to work the following morning.

McGuire had been beaten up by a number of youths -- although there was no suggestion the complainant was involved -- and a fight started when the defendant encountered the victim.

He had had problems with him at school and the complainant's reputation had "gone before him."