POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a young man was stabbed in the back in a busy street.

The victim suffered a punctured lung in the attack which happened in Darwen Street in Blackburn the early hours of Saturday. He is recovering from his injuries at Blackburn Royal Infirmary.

The man had been enjoying a night out in the town centre and was stabbed after he got into an argument with a group of men.

Police have described the assault as "vicious and unprovoked" and are appealing for anyone who was in the area to contact them.

Detectives spoke to a number of witnesses over the weekend but are still urging people to come forward.

A spokesman for Blackburn CID said: "This was a busy time of night and the stabbing happened close to the takeaways in Darwen Street.

"There were plenty of people out and about who must have witnessed the stabbing and it is important for anyone who witnessed the incident to contact us as soon as possible."