A 30-YEAR-OLD man was stabbed in an attack by a gang of youths.

The man was in Ericksen Road in the Kinson area of Bournemouth when he approached a group of youngsters and ended up exchanging blows before he realised how badly hurt he was.

His mum said: “He phoned me and said ‘I’ve been stabbed’. He only went out to use the cashpoint and he said it all happened so quickly. They weren’t very old.”

Police cordoned off Ericksen Road for four hours on Tuesday afternoon and scenes of crime officers were seen scouring front gardens and checking the bins.

The mum, who asked not to be named, said she was told her son may have approached the group of young men to get them away from an old lady. But the victim was taken for treatment and a scan on his injured head last night and she was waiting to confirm this with him.

Lianne Hart, 26, who lives nearby, said Kinson had seen lots of improvements in the last few years. We’ve had our fair share of problems but it’s not affected me,” she said.

A Dorset Police spokeswoman said they received a report of an assault at 1.37pm.

She added: “A cordon was put in place so that officers could search the area for evidence.

"Officers are in the early stages of the investigation and would like anyone with information or who may have witnessed the incident to contact Dorset Police on 101 or Crimestoppers. At this time no one has been arrested.”

The victim is not believed to have suffered serious injuries.