A 15-year-old boy has been stabbed in Fishwick, making him the second victim of knife crime in the area this month.

Police have today arrested seven teenagers after the incident, which happened in Fishwick Parade at around 3.30pm.

Officers attended to find the boy had suffered a slash wound to his arm after being assaulted by another group of boys. He was treated at hospital but has now been discharged.

Seven boys aged between 15 and 17 were arrested today (Wednesday, March 20^th) on suspicion of Section 18 assault and are currently in custody.

Chief Inspector Steve Sansbury, of Preston Police, said: “Fortunately the injuries suffered in this assault, which we believe at this time was targeted, were relatively minor but we take all reports of offences involving a knife extremely seriously and we will continue to use all the powers at our disposal – such as Section 60 orders – in areas where we identify there is an issue.

“We are committed to keeping our communities safe and tackling violent crime is a priority for us. We will continue to work 24/7 and 365 days of the year and to act on intelligence. We simply will not tolerate acts like the one we saw yesterday and we have taken swift and decisive action today.

“We would encourage anyone with information about knife crime in the area to contact police or independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

“Anyone with information about yesterday’s assault should call 101 quoting log number 0843 of March 19^th.

“We regularly take part in weeks of action including the recent Op Sceptre knife surrender but this is not just a police issue and we work closely with partners to try to educate people on the dangers of carrying a knife as it could have tragic consequences.”

More information on knife crime is available here: https://www.lancashire.police.uk/help-advice/safer-communities/knife-crime/