A MAN suffered a fractured skull after being caught up in a brawl in an Oswaldtwistle pub.

Stephen Hitchen, of Aspen Fold, Oswaldtwistle, was injured at the Golden Cross pub, in Union Road, at 1.40am on Saturday.

Police said they initially believed that his injuries were only minor.

But when Mr Hitchen was taken to Blackburn Infirmary, doctors discovered he had fractured his skull.

He was transferred to a specialist head unit at Hope Hospital in Salford and sedated for 24 hours.

A police spokesman said: "Initially this job came in as a minor assault as a result of a pub brawl but after being checked over by Accident and Emergency crews it became clear that Mr Hitchen had in fact received a nasty head injury.

"We believe he has had surgery at Hope Hospital and was yesterday well enough to be transferred back to Blackburn Royal Infirmary, where his condition is being closely monitored."

Three men were arrested and were interviewed by Blackburn detectives over the weekend.

They were yesterday released on police bail until April 28 and the file has been handed over to the Crown Prosecution Service.

l Anyone who witnessed the assault is asked to contact Blackburn police on 01254 51212 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.