Three injured in Formby beach stabbing

LONDON: A man is in a critical condition and two other people have been seriously injured after a stabbing on a beach.

Merseyside Police said two men aged 20 and a 16-year-old boy were taken to hospital by air ambulance after the “unprovoked attack” on Formby beach in Sefton at 7.10pm on Sunday. One of the men is in a critical but stable condition and the conditions of the other man and the teenager are described as serious but not life-threatening, a force spokesman said.

Detectives appealed for anyone on the beach who witnessed the “shocking and disappointing” attack to come forward. Detective Superintendent Mark Baker said: “We believe that this was an unprovoked attack.

“Last night, officers spoke to a large number of people who were leaving the beach to gather vital intelligence. Every piece of information we are given is vital to our investigation, so I’d like to ask anyone who saw what happened to come forward as soon as possible.

“We understand that this shocking event will cause considerable distress to the community in Sefton, and we are working around the clock to identify who was responsible and bring them to justice.

“After many difficult months, it was good to see people out enjoying themselves at the beach yesterday. The fact that three young people have been attacked in this way is truly shocking and disappointing, and our officers will be increasing patrols in the area over the coming days and weeks.” Officers remained at the scene on Bank Holiday Monday. Formby beach is a National Trust site and one of the few areas in the UK with a red squirrel population.

Anyone with information can contact police via the social media desk @MerPolCC on Twitter, through Merseyside Police Contact Centre on Facebook with reference 978 of 30/05 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.