A MAN was stabbed in Selby town centre today in front of horrified shoppers.

The man, said to be local and in his 30s, slumped to the pavement outside Booze Busters shop, in Gowthorpe.

One onlooker said there had been a scuffle between two men before the victim fell to the floor, clutching his stomach.

Detectives confirmed later that the man had been stabbed by a knife.

Several passers-by, including a qualified nurse, went to the man's aid as they tried to stem the blood.

The man was conscious as an ambulance crew stretchered him into an ambulance before taking him to York District Hospital.

A spokesman for Selby CID said his injuries were not believed to be life threatening.

Police cordoned off about 80 metres of the pavement at Gowthorpe and stopped shoppers going into nearby stores, shops and offices.

Police were seen searching for fragments of glass on the pavement. It is believed a bottle was also involved in the incident, which happened at about 11.45am.

One woman who was passing at the time said: "The man was lying on the pavement, shouting: 'I've been stabbed'. He then shouted to a girl 'I love you'.

"I had seen the same man about five minutes earlier in another part of town. He was on his own and seemed fine."

Selby's High Street was packed with shoppers on market day and scores of passers-by stood in shocked silence on both sides of the street as the man was given first-aid.

* The Selby CID spokesman said a man had been arrested at the scene in connection with the incident and was helping police with their inquiries.

Updated: 14:37 Monday, March 11, 2002