A 28-year-old man was left with serious slash wounds after an "extremely violent" knife fight at a pub.

The violence erupted yesterday evening when eight men armed with knives began fighting at the Woodthorpe Hotel in Bury Old Road, Prestwich.

One man, aged 28, was stabbed, suffering serious injuries, and was taken to hospital for treatment.

However, police have since confirmed that his injuries are not thought to be life threatening.

A second man also suffered minor injuries after being assaulted.

Police were called to the pub at around 5pm and three men ­— aged 18, 20 and 21 ­— have been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

Chief Inspector Phil Spurgeon, from Greater Manchester Police’s Bury borough, said: “This was an extremely violent incident which left a man with nasty wounds.

“We are currently trawling through CCTV as part of this investigation and we will leave no stone unturned to find those involved.

“It is a shock that there weren’t any more serious injuries.

“We would like to hear from anyone with any information or who witnessed the fighting. This level of violence has no place on our streets, particularly on a nice Sunday afternoon with many innocent people around.”

Anyone with any information is asked to contact police on 0161 856 8172, alternatively call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.