TWO women have been arrested following an attempted murder in Rochdale.

Police were called shortly after 2pm on Saturday, May 22, to reports of a stabbing in Mellor Street, Rochdale.

Emergency services attended and enquiries have established that three men arrived in a blue Renault Captu before forcing entry to a property and attacking a man with a machete. A woman was also injured.

The men fled the scene in the same car.

A 27-year-old man was taken to hospital with serious injuries to his hands, arms and back and a 53-year-old woman was taken to hospital with a minor injury to her hand.

The man remains in hospital for treatment and the woman has since been discharged.

This is believed to be an isolated incident with no wider risk to the public.

Two women -aged 29 and 34 - have been arrested on suspicion of attempt murder. They remain in custody for questioning.

Detective Sergeant Richard Shelton, of GMP's Rochdale district, said: "This was a brutal attack in which a man was stabbed multiple times and required surgery for his injuries.

"This type of crime will absolutely not be tolerated in Greater Manchester and whilst we have two people currently in custody, our investigation remains very much ongoing with numerous lines of enquiry being followed to identify the men responsible for this attack as quickly as possible. We know that the offenders were driving a blue Renault Captu and believe there could have also been a second car present at the scene.

"This incident happened in broad daylight and police are hopeful that members of the public who were in the area at the time may have dashcam footage of the men driving this car to and from the scene. Please do not hesitate to contact police with any information; even the smallest piece of intelligence could play a vital part in helping us to complete our investigation."

Anyone with information should contact police on 0161 856 8576, quoting incident number 1330 of 22/05/21.

Reports can also be made anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Greater Manchester Victims' Services provide emotional and practical support to anyone affected by crime and are a confidential service. The service can be contacted by visiting the website on www.gmvictims.org.uk or calling 0161 200 1950.