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A man in a pub has been stabbed by a masked attacker in a "despicable" attack, police have said.

Merseyside Police said the man, who is in his 20s, suffered "several stab wounds" in the Old Stanley Arms on Prescot Road in Old Swan, Liverpool, at about 22:50 GMT on Friday.

The force said he remained in hospital in a stable condition.

A representative said no arrests had been made and the injured man had "declined to assist police".

They said his attacker, who was dressed in black with his face covered, had entered the pub moments before assaulting him and had then "left immediately".

Appealing for information, Det Ch Insp Mike Dalton said it was "despicable to think anyone would enter a pub on a busy Friday night and carry out such a nasty assault".

"This would have been a frightening experience for everyone in the pub at the time, let alone the victim," he said.

"We are carrying out extensive enquiries... to identify and bring to justice the offender."

He added that while officers had already spoken to some witnesses, "we know there would have been many people in the pub who saw what happened and have not yet spoken to police".

"There may also have been people who were taking photos or filming videos on the night who may have captured part of this incident."

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