A THIEF brandishing a knife has stabbed three men in a shop in Old Trafford.

The incident occurred at Boozy Busters, on the corner of Seymour Grove and Upper Chorlton Road, shortly after 3am on Sunday.

According to police a man entered the shop and selected some items, before asking the shop assistant to get something else for him from behind the counter.

Once the shop assistant was distracted, the man tried to grab the items before he had paid and turned to leave the shop, but there was another member of staff blocking his way to the door.

This member of staff took hold of the offender and a struggle ensued. Two other members of staff joined in and tried to help.

During the struggle the man swiped at the staff with a knife, cutting one on the head, and he stabbed one in the neck, and another in the leg. He then fled, threatening the staff as he left.

Two of the men, aged 29 and 45, were treated for injuries, which are not serious. The third man, aged 42, was taken to hospital where he is being treated for serious injuries.

Police have launched an investigation and are appealing for witnesses.

The man is described as black, aged between 20 and 30 years, 5ft 7in tall, of muscular build with a shaved head. He was wearing a grey tracksuit with grey hooded top. The knife was described as a Stanley knife.

Detective Inspector Ben Cottam of GMP’s Trafford Team said: “A man, who was just doing his job, has been left in hospital with serious injuries, and it’s vital that we catch whoever did this.

“I want to offer my assurances that we have detectives working on this and we are doing all we can to catch the offender.

“If you know who was responsible, or you saw what happened, I urge you to get in touch as a matter of urgency.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 0161 856 7743, 101 quoting incident number 381 02/07/17, or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously on 080 555 111.