Man attacked during disturbance involving two groups armed with weapons

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

A man was attacked as he walked past two groups of men armed with weapons who were involved in a dispute, police have said. The man, aged in his 30s, was walking home from work at the time.

Police in Leigh, Wigan, said he suffered a number of serious facial injuries and was taken to hospital, where he remained on Wednesday. Detectives at Greater Manchester Police have issued an urgent appeal for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward.

In a statement the force said: "At around 10.25pm on Tuesday, May 3, we received a report of a disturbance on Newlands Road, Leigh. Officers attended and enquiries have, so far, established that there was a dispute between two groups of males who were in possession of various weapons and surrounding a white van.

"During the dispute, a member of the public walked past the white van on his way home from work and was subsequently attacked resulting in multiple facial injuries. The member of the public, a man in his 30s, was taken to hospital where he remains."

The weapons involved were not further described and police haven't revealed the nature of the dispute, or how many men were involved. There's been no details of any arrests.

Detective Inspector Philip Housley, of GMP's Wigan district, appealed for anyone with dash-cam footage to come forward. He said: "As a result of our investigation, we are starting to build a clear picture of the incident on Newlands Road and the circumstances surrounding it. That being said, we are keen to hear from anyone with information.

"I appeal to anyone who has information or dash cam footage from the roads surrounding Newlands Road, particularly Oak Street and Rugby Road, to share it with us. If you would prefer to remain anonymous, you can