Police are appealing for witnesses after a teenage girl was stabbed in the stomach as she walked with a friend near Oldham town centre.

The 15-year-old victim is currently in a serious but stable condition at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital following the attack on West End Street at around 4.15pm yesterday.

Police say she was walking with a friend when she was approached by an offender who stabbed her twice before fleeing down Middleton Road.

Another 15-year-old girl has been arrested on suspicion of assault and remains in custody for questioning.

A GMP spokesperson said enquiries into the full circumstances surrounding the incident are ongoing.

Detective Chief Inspector John Haywood, of GMP’s Oldham borough, said: “This will understandably be worrying for people in the local area, but we are treating this as an isolated incident and believe it bears no wider risk to the community.

“This assault has left a teenager with serious injuries to her stomach and I wish her a speedy recovery as her treatment continues.

“Although we’ve made an arrest, we still need to hear from people that may have seen the assault, or with information that could help our enquiries.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 quoting incident number 1485 of 09/04/18. Reports can also be made anonymously through the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.