Group of thugs wanted by police after man attacked following altercation at takeaway in Blackburn

A man and women were in a takeaway in Darwen Street when they got into an altercation with a man at around 11.40pm on November 22.

When they left the takeaway and headed towards Blackburn railway station, they were followed by the man and his friends

When the victim - a man in his 20s - tried to run away, he was caught by the group and assaulted near the Premier Inn hotel in One Cathedral Square.

The woman who was with the man managed to run to a nearby pub and seek help.

Police said a number of enquiries were made following the assault and two suspects were identified.

Detectives today (December 24) released CCTV images of five men they wanted to speak to in connection with the attack.

DC Linda Scott, of East CID, said: "This was a shocking and cowardly attack which left the victim in a blooded state.

"We have already made a number of enquiries to identify those involved and we now need to speak to the men in the CCTV images.

"I would ask anybody with information about their identities - or the men themselves - to get in contact with police as soon as possible."

Anyone with information can contact police by calling 101, quoting log number 0002 of November 23, 2021.

You can also visit the Lancashire Police website by clicking HERE.

Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via https://crimestoppers-uk.org/.

It is thanks to our loyal readers that we can continue to provide the trusted news, analysis and insight that matters to you.

For unlimited access to our unrivalled local reporting, you can take out a subscription HERE and help support the work of our dedicated team of reporters.