A MAN was stabbed in a fight at a Weymouth town centre pub in the middle of the afternoon.

The fight spilled outside the White Hart Tavern to the seating area where shocked shoppers witnessed the violence.

Police and ambulance crews were alerted to the New Bond Street venue at just after 4pm on Saturday.

Dorset Police said a 25-year-old man who suffered a single stab wound to the shoulder area was taken to hospital for treatment.

A force spokesman said a person has been arrested and is helping officers with enquiries, and the investigation is ongoing.

CCTV in the area will be checked as part of the inquiry.

South Western Ambulance said it was alerted at 4.10pm to reports a man had been stabbed. An officer and an ambulance crew were sent and a patient was taken to Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester for treatment.

One witness said: "It was shocking to see on a Saturday afternoon; there were lots of children around."

He added: "I saw some men come outside the pub, into the seating area, and they were fighting.

"I only realised one of them had been stabbed when he lifted his shirt to reveal a two-inch puncture wound to his upper side. There was a lot of blood and it looked quite nasty.

"I'm not sure if the stabbing took place inside or outside."

The witness said several police cars and an ambulance were on scene within a few minutes.

Staff at the pub did not want to comment.

Michael Heard, who works in the Poundland store opposite said he witnessed people fighting on Saturday afternoon in an incident that spilled into the store. It is not known if this was before or after the stabbing, or if it was connected to the pub fight.

Mr Heard said: “Two, maybe three guys were having some sort of fight, throwing comments at each other.

“From what I could see, they were grabbing each other’s necks and trying to throw each other into the displays in here.

“It was not the fight which scared me, it was the words they were saying that made me feel on edge.

“I am grateful that the police got there when they did.”

Kelly Young, supervisor at nearby Cineworld, said: “I think it is more concerning for the older children who come to the cinema without parents.

“I think parents might now be inclined to pick up and drop off.

“Children’s safety is the most important thing.”

Community safety spokesman for Weymouth and Portland Borough Council Cllr Francis Drake said: "This is a shocking incident, especially to have happened in broad daylight in the town centre, when families would have been passing by.

"There are drink-related incidents associated with the night-time economy but to have something like this in the middle of the afternoon is very concerning."