Man arrested after armed police respond to sexual assault, stabbing and burglary in Blackpool

The first incident occurred when police rushed to reports of a sexual assault at an address in the Lytham Road area at around 4.30am today (October 14).

A 30-year-old old man was reportedly stabbed multiple times during the attack and he was later taken to hospital for treatment. His injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.

Police and armed officers launched an immediate search of the area after the offender - believed to be responsible for both assaults - fled the scene.

Around 90 minutes later, at around 6am, police responded to reports of a break in at an address in Bolton Street where a suspect had stolen mobile phones and cash.

Following enquiries, a 39-year-old man was later arrested by police on suspicion of sexual assault, Section 18 wounding and burglary. He is currently in police custody for questioning.

Supt Damian Kitchen, of Blackpool Police, said: "I appreciate that many people will have seen the police activity this morning, which will have included a number of armed officers out on the street, and I recognise that this may have caused concern for some. They were needed as we carried out a search for a suspect wanted for some extremely violent offences.

"I would like to thank everyone in the community for their cooperation, support and understanding during what was an extremely fast moving and dynamic incident and I would like to thank all of the officers and staff involved for their professionalism and dedication.”

"The arrest was made ultimately by your local Task Force Officers, showing the value of having community teams on the ground who know their patch."

Officers have confirmed the victims of all the alleged offences are being supported by specially trained officers.

Det Supt Becky Smith, who is overseeing the investigation, said "I am satisfied that this is an isolated incident and there is no ongoing threat in the community.

"A number of our Detectives and Crime Scene Investigators will continue to work hard on this case in the coming days."

Anyone with information has been urged to contact police by calling 101, quoting log number 0164 of Oct 14.

Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via their website https://crimestoppers-uk.org/