Man in critical condition and two seriously hurt after beach stabbing

A man is in a critical condition and two other people have been seriously injured after a stabbing on a beach.

Merseyside Police said two men aged 20 and a 16-year-old boy were taken to hospital by air ambulance after the “unprovoked attack” on Formby beach in Sefton at 7.10pm on Sunday.

One of the men is in a critical but stable condition and the conditions of the other man and the teenager are described as serious but not life-threatening, a force spokesman said.

A witness told the Liverpool Echo a man was attacked with an axe and a samurai sword during the 'organised fight' at the National Trust site.

"The lad who was losing the fight pulled out an axe and hit the other lad with it," he said.

"His mate then pulled out a samurai sword and used that too. It was bad"

Detectives appealed for anyone on the beach who witnessed the “shocking and disappointing” attack to come forward.

Detective Superintendent Mark Baker said: “We believe that this was an unprovoked attack.

“Last night, officers spoke to a large number of people who were leaving the beach to gather vital intelligence.

“Every piece of information we are given is vital to our investigation, so I’d like to ask anyone who saw what happened to come forward as soon as possible.

“We understand that this shocking event will cause considerable distress to the community in Sefton, and we are working around the clock to identify who was responsible and bring them to justice.

“After many difficult months, it was good to see people out enjoying themselves at the beach yesterday.

“The fact that three young people have been attacked in this way is truly shocking and disappointing, and our officers will be increasing patrols in the area over the coming days and weeks.”

Officers remained at the scene on Bank Holiday Monday.

A police spokesman said a dispersal zone would be in place until Wednesday afternoon, giving officers powers to direct people they suspected were likely to cause crime or anti-social behaviour to leave the area.

Inspector Graham Fisher said: “We are well aware of the significant impacts of knife-related crime – which have led to three young men needing hospital treatment in the last 24 hours – and the worry this will cause for the vast majority of people in the area who are law-abiding members of the community looking to enjoy the beach and surrounding areas.

“The dispersal zone gives us the powers we need to deal effectively with people and I would urge anyone in the area with any information about anti-social behaviour or violent crime on the beach and dunes to contact us.”

Formby beach is a National Trust site and one of the few areas in the UK with a red squirrel population.

Anyone with information can contact police via the social media desk @MerPolCC on Twitter, through Merseyside Police Contact Centre on Facebook with reference 978 of 30/05 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.