THERE was still a police presence this morning in an alleyway where a man was stabbed, allegedly multiple times yesterday.

The man, named locally as Paul Gill, and aged around 30, was stabbed, reportedly multiple times, before collapsing in Charles Street, Worcester, on Friday evening.

Police have today confirmed there was a stabbing and are appealing for witnesses.

An eye witness last night described seeing the man stumble out of Nash's Passage, which connects New Street with City Walls Road near Papa’s Caffè, at around 6pm.

Police tape blocking off all of Charles Street and part of New Street near Retroids and Sin has now been removed.

However, a police car remained on the steps leading up to the alley from the A-road while a police officer was stationed at the side nearest to New Street, though the route is open to pedestrians.

A shop owner on Charles Street told the Worcester News this morning he heard an ambulance and looked outside to see "a guy on the floor and there was blood".

There is soil on the pavement leading up to and directly outside Wise Owl Toys, where the trader said the man was being treated for his injuries.

"I saw the guy’s on the floor with ambulance staff around him, paramedics are on him," he continued.

Asked if he saw the man get stabbed or which direction he appeared to have come from, the trader said: "I didn’t see nothing at all. I didn’t even see the guy, if he was stabbed here or if he walked here. When I see the ambulance stop here, I thought it might be some elderly people or something, and something had happened.

"I saw the ambulance and I thought it was going to go past, but then it stopped.

"Then I said 'let’s have a look, see what’s happening'. This was all closed last night from about seven, I think," he added.

A shop worker on New Street said she came to work around 8am and the police tape had already been removed.

"When I was going home the police cars were charging everywhere and we kept hearing sirens here and there and then when I was driving home and there were police cars going here and turning the other way, it was all very manic," she told us today.

"But I didn’t realise what had happened. There was no police tape here this morning. All the cars were around, it was about 6.15, there were police cars everywhere but I didn’t see any police tape at that time."

On Friday evening, close to a dozen emergency service vehicles were parked in and off Charles Street.

One eye witness described yesterday seeing “loads of blood” after the man stumbled out of the alleyway, which was also taped off.

The witness said: “The lad ran out of the alleyway, then took his top off and it was clear he’d been stabbed. He was stood there a long time before anyone realised what had happened. When he took his shirt off there was loads of blood, it went all over the pavement.”

He said the man was surrounded by "mates" who he was telling to help him with his T-shirt before he collapsed.

He said ambulance crews arrived at the scene quickly but police seemed to take a long time.

Armed officers and police dogs were present at the scene.

One officer said the blockages could be in place for a “few hours, if not days”.

In a statement released earlier today, Detective Sergeant Dan Fenn said: “The incident happened on New Street in Worcester around 6pm yesterday evening (Friday 20 September).
  
“The victim, a man in his 30s, sustained stab wounds and was taken to hospital via air ambulance where he continues to receive treatment.
 
"This is believed to be an isolated incident with no wider threat to the public.
 
"Investigations are ongoing and we are appealing for any witnesses to this assault.
 
"If you have any information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, please call West Mercia Police on 101, quoting incident number 630s of 20 September 2019."
 
Alternatively, information can be passed to the independent charity Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111 or via their website.

More as we get it.